Testing Audio -DK Principessa

by kibass91

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36. Pack Strands

Summary:

When presumed lowly Beta Penelope Featherington goes into heat at the Queen's Omega Presentation and falls into the arms of the Leader of the ABC pack, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and his younger brother (and the love of her life) Colin Bridgerton- The trajectory of her life is changed forever.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Dearest reader,

It is that time of year again! While the Alpha Lords of the ton gather for parliament in session, the mamas and their perfuming young Omega debutants prim and prep for the mating season. The Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and the younger two Alphas, Mister Benedict and Mister Colin Bridgerton, were spotted once again in London, this Author is happy to see that the pack is well recovered after the scandal of seasons last.

In fact, if this Author had not reported upon the debacle, she is not sure she would even believe these strapping gentlemen had ever suffered beneath the might of her pen!

It is no doubt they like the rest of the lords returning to London are ready for the upcoming opening ball of the season, that is, as always, being held by Lady Danbury.

This writer must admit that she is intrigued as to what the Lady has decided upon for the theme, but, alas she keeps a tight lip on her themes and so, it as always, shall remain a my-

Anthony balled the Whistledown paper in his fist and tossed it to his fireplace in annoyance. Whoever that gossip monger was, he would sniff them out and happily lay them at Queen Charlotte's feet at this point. His gaze found the stately portrait of his sire and his two pack mates, and he sighed. He had hoped that his pack would follow his father's footsteps and their Omega would present fairly quickly to them, but they had no such luck. It had been five consecutive seasons that they had been in the ton, and the last two had been a nightmare when mothers of the ton had tried trapping them into mating bonds with their omega debutant children. They had no intentions of settling or letting themselves be manipulated into a mate not destined for them.

The only time Anthony had been able to sing Lady Whistledown's praises was when Miss Thompson had been exposed for using a pheromone oil that had nearly sent Colin into a rut that would have ended in a mating had he not been caught in time. He had begrudgingly owed the woman for that one.

Miss Thompson's straits had been dire indeed, but it had really only taken some prodding from his sister Daphne, newly Duchess, to find the young Omega's dead mate's brother. It had only been by a miracle that she had not had a completed bond. While he wasn't best pleased with her manipulations, he could not blame her for it and was happy she had a blood relative of her would-be mate there to help support her during her pregnancy when her instincts had reached out for the sire of her child. She now had two healthy twins. She had struggled after she had learned of her children's father's fate, the unfinished mating bond, the barest imprint of teeth on her neck a testament to it. George Crane had done her very badly with that, and the echo of the mating bond that should have had a return call to it had made her slightly unbalanced. And then he had died and the mating bite he had given her had gone dormant. Nobody ever really recovered from a mating going dormant.

His mother hadn't, and she had her less dominant mates to support her. She had been pregnant with Hyacinth at the time, and it had damned near broken her.

He rubbed his face and slapped his thighs before springing up from his seat behind the desk- He had a presentation of the debutants to go to. Franny was debuting this season, and he was here to be her guardian along with his sire's packmates.

He entered the foyer to see his packmates; heads bent together in conversation. It was the first time they were all under the same roof since last season. Colin travelled, and Benedict explored his art at My cottage. Frankly, they'd all needed a break from each other after the debacle of the last two seasons; Miss Thompson's meddling and Eloise's scandal had just about been the end of them.

They looked good, refreshed. Ready for another season, one could only hope it wouldn't be nearly as dramatic as it had been. Franchesca certainly didn't need more attention on her than was necessary. She didn't do well under scrutiny. What she needed was an easy season to ease her into it.

He stood next to Eloise, who was examining her fingernails. She wasn't best pleased to be going to the presentation of the season's debutante, but Francesca had begged her and Eloise's good friend Miss Penelope Featherington to attend with her for support. He looked over his shoulder at the door; the girl was late. Any later, and she would miss out.

It was last minute that she rushed in with Wickham trailing her and with her, the vague trace of something sweet. Anthony's nostrils flared, and he tilted his nose to the air and scented. A head note of lilacs, a heart note of rosemary and a base note of summer ripe strawberries.

He could almost taste them on his pallet, his tongue pushed the flavour to the roof of his mouth, and he swallowed. As soon as it had come, it was gone again.

Surely a new scented oil then, betas were always trying to replicate omega perfume. Clearly, Miss Featherington had found a good one.

He couldn't think on it too long, though, because Francesca was coming down the stairs looking radiant in her court gown. Maybe this season wouldn't be so bad for her.

What he didn't notice was the intense look Colin was giving Penelope.

Francesca's sire, James, held his elbow out to her, and his sister took it gratefully. Anthony would have to escort her into the hall for the presentation, but her sire got the pleasure of accompanying her from the house and riding in the carriage with her.

The first Omega presenting to the Queen did well and had a spicy, woodsy perfume that would have been pleasant if not for the sweet summer scent still lingering in his thoughts from earlier. Having Penelope standing in front of him, fidgeting and sighing quietly through the parade of omegas until Francesca was announced, did little to help the issue. The scent teased at his senses, and he could tell it was affecting Colin and Benedict too. Every time she shifted her hair, it would waft over them, and they both would give her curious little glances, which worried him greatly. She brightened at the sight of his sister and ceased fidgeting long enough to give her an encouraging smile. Franchesca's curtsey to the Queen was a little shaky, but the Queen still approved of her held-high head and graceful walk toward her. It was a relief that it had gone over so well, with the way Francesca had been up at all hours fretting over it the night before. Franchesca wedged herself into their family group behind Colin, obviously intent on getting out of the spotlight, pushing him closer to Miss Penelope.

The girl swayed on her feet, and Anthony's palm found the small of her back in an effort to right her discreetly, his fingers brushed against Colin's as his brother moved to do the same. He shot a glance toward Colin, who was looking down on the young miss. She recovered from whatever swoon had overcome her and righted herself with a gentle smile over her shoulder at them.

He blinked at the sight as though blinking sun from his eyes and shook his head once her attention had turned back to the next debutant. He cleared his throat and looked down at the redhead. There were only inches between them, and though the day warm, the heat radiating off her was almost blistering. He frowned, wishing that it were proper to lay a hand on her face to gauge her temperature. Surely she would have begged off the function had she been feeling too poorly to attend? Just as he bent down to ask her if she wished to leave early, a debutant spurned by the Queen flew down the aisle, his run all elbows. People had stepped in to look at the commotion, but the boy pushed through people, causing one to fall into Miss Penelope, who, in turn, fell into both Colin and he.

His arms curled around her waist as they all fell back, and he was glad that she was not a bony little thing like most of the women in the ton because instead of bony hips, he ended up with a lap full of plush curves.

And- And. Well.

She flung her head to the side, no doubt to spout apologies, but the minute her neck was in stark view of his gaze, he was overwhelmed by her sweet summer scent. He had dismissed it as a beta scented oil, but the reddening glands on her neck proved him wrong. The scent was intoxicating; it wove its way through his senses and sunk claws into the beat of his heart. He could feel the prick of descending canines, sharp and primed to claim.

He couldn't help the way his arms became a steel band around her waist or the way his lips found her gland. It was overwhelming, the taste of lilacs, strawberries and rosemary. He was vaguely aware of Colin on the other side of them, his hand cupping Penelope's face and drawing her into a heated kiss. Anthony's tongue laved at the reddened spot, and the keen from the Omega in his arms wrenched him from his single-mindedness and reminded him where he was. He startled and wrenched Colin away from the girl, his brother full feral and looking as though he were about to descend into rut.

And, oh hell, people were staring at them; one lady had even pulled a swoon at the sight of them. Benedict was in just as much a frenzy as he and Colin, and he noticed through his haze that his father's packmates were restraining him. His mother was the first to move. She darted to Miss Penelope, who was a heaving mess of heat pheromones and helped the girl up. He was reluctant to let her go, but the way his mother's fingernails bit into his arm shocked him back into his mind, and his arms unwound from the young Miss in his grip. A shocked air followed the entire debacle, and he could see the white faces of Franny and Eloise peering back over at him as they surrounded Miss Penelope in a protective shield and ushered her from the hall.

It took a moment for everything inside him to settle enough for him to pull himself from the ground. He straightened himself, eyes anywhere but the faces of the ton. James and Gareth felt safe enough to release Benedict, and he was so grateful they had the wherewithal to restrain Benedict before it turned into an entire affair. As if it had not already bloomed into a crisis. Gareth and James approached him; he eyed Franny and Eloise's sires. Truly, he would be lost without them. Colin was being hauled to his feet by Benedict who beat a hasty retreat with the young Alpha.

"I believe, Anthony, that you and your packmates have just found your omega," Gareth muttered as he clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Now be a good lad and apologise to Her Majesty."

Anthony made his apologies to the Queen, and all she did was give him a look as though she had orchestrated the whole event.

"Anthony Bridgerton," she said, clearly tickled over the whole thing, "please do give the archbishop my regards when you request a special license from him."

Ah, yes, such an overt display of claiming would not go unpunished by the ton, he thought scathingly. They had no clue whether the girl was their destined mate or if she had taken the same route, her cousin had taken and used enhancers. He did not want to think ill of Penelope, she had been a source of great comfort for Eloise and Franny, but he could not forget the secret ardour she held for Colin.

Ah, Colin.

The youngest of his packmates, he was the most charming of his pack by far, and that often led to the young misses of the ton to feelings for him that were not returned. He was used to steering him out of the trouble his charm caused him.

And, Miss Penelope's feelings had been troublesome for quite some time, given that she were- Sorry, had been a beta up 'til now. He straightened out of the bow he had dipped into for the Queen and took her dismissal of his pack with a grim face. He would get to the bottom of this.

Anthony rubbed at his face as he considered the paper before him; another Whistledown had come out a fortnight after the curfuffle. They had not been able to approach Miss Penelope after the event, her mother sequestering her to Featherington house. No doubt to let her work her first heat out of her system. His chest felt oddly bereft at the suggestion that she had spent it alone, but he shook the feeling from himself and picked the scandal sheet up.

Gentle reader,

Ah, what scandal! What intrigue, indeed.

The presentation of the omegas started off feeling as though it were to be the only omega presentation thus far without drama to titillate my readers. How wrong; this writer was happy to be proven. Calamity struck when her Majesty did not even deign young Mister Timothy, the third son of the Jameson line and the first Omega in a long line of alphas, a look during his commencement. This writer notes that the young lad had been a surprise for his family, and the pressure put upon him to perform had been immeasurable. So immeasurable, in fact, that he rightly took flight when the Queen did not look upon him. It is a tough life for the omegas among the ton, no doubt. Indeed, many a' newly presented Omega have either run from or fainted from the pressures placed upon them for the first meeting with the Queen. A boon omegas can be for their families if Her Majesty even happens a glance upon the Omega, never mind if she were to dignify one with a smile.

I digress; during Mister Timothy's flight, he knocked into presumed beta, Miss Penelope of the Featherington's (whom, may this author note, looked rather alike an overripe citrus in the garish dress her mother festooned upon her) and into the arms of none other than Viscount Anthony, and his younger brother, Colin Bridgerton of the ABC pack. This Author has it on good authority that the Viscount and his brother were seen displaying hindbrain behaviour when they scandalised the ton with amorous wonderings of their mouths upon Miss Penelope's neck and lips. Miss Penelope of all people! This Author once said that she would retire if Miss Penelope were to garner the favour of a Bridgerton, but alas, hell hath not frozen over, and pigs have not sprouted wings and flown. Therefore, dearest, gentle reader- You will be happy to know I will continue to regale you with gossip for another day.

Lady Whistledown

Blasted woman, Anthony thought uncharitably as he tossed the latest into the fire and watched it burn with great triumph.

They still hadn't worked out the nature of what had happened with Miss Penelope, but his sister had invited her to tea now that she was out of quarantine. He planned to corner her then.

Mediated and attended to by his mother, of course. He did not need any more scandal surrounding his pack and her.

Anthony pulled his pocket watch from his vest and flipped it open to check the time, it would strike five within minutes, and he had best get started to the drawing room in order to catch the chit. He gathered himself and straightened his armour, vest and tails neat, buckskins unwrinkled, and hessians polished to a mirror finish. He dusted himself, and as the clock struck the hour, he left his study and found the drawing room his mother typically hosted Miss Penelope for afternoon tea. He popped into the room, and of course, Colin was already there, a plate of cake happily in hand. Benedict would be late, no doubt, but he was used to his second's proclivities. He was getting lost in a painting, more than likely.

Anthony seated himself in an armchair next to his mother and rested his chin in his hand as we waited for Wickham to announce the girl. Colin was in the window seat, looking out onto Grosvenor square, surely to keep an eye out for the redhead.

The door burst open, and everyone started a little, only to relax when it was Benedict who came through. His shirttails were a mess, and a smudge of paint was high on his cheekbone. His mother tutted as she looked at his packmate.

"Oh, Benedict", she muttered in disapproval. "You're a mess; come here-" Benedict moved toward her obediently, and she licked her thumb and wiped at the paint on his face. He smiled obligingly at Violet as she tutted and fussed at the paint on his face, and Anthony was grateful that he wasn't fussing at her.

Colin straightened up from his spot at the window.

"She's here," he said as he took a forkful of his cake and ate it. Within moments Wickham was announcing her. Anthony and his packmates stood as she entered the room. Penelope squeaked at the sight of them and seemed to back away, but Anthony was too quick for her. He rushed forward as she stumbled back on wobbly legs and caught her just before she could turn tail and run.

Okay, so they had lied about them being present to get her to come, but they had to talk about the incident: air out grievances and all that.

"Not so fast, Miss Featherington", he growled as he pulled her into the room. She was stiff as a board beneath his grip, and he momentarily felt bad before remembering that she had been geared up to run from them. He manhandled her into the loveseat across from his armchair and pushed her into her place.

"V- Viscount", Penelope said shakily, and he softened his countenance toward her. There was no need to frighten her, and he regretted his rough treatment immediately.

"I am sorry, Miss Penelope," he said after a moment, a little flustered now that he was breathing in her perfume again. It was just as exquisite and alluring as he remembered. There was a pretty flush to her cheeks, and he shook his head to clear himself of the Omega perfume. He sat in his armchair and looked upon her.

She wore a plain blue muslin dress with little embellishment beyond the lace along the sleeves and delicate embroidery dusting the dress. Plain, sure, but it brought out the blue of her eyes and the red of her hair. It was a fair difference in dress from what her mother dressed her in, and he was happy for it.

She fidgeted in her seat, Colin sat next to her, grabbing one of her gloved hands to squeeze it, and Benedict flopped himself into the seat on her other side.

"Uh, Penelope dear," his mother said to break the intense silence that had fallen upon the group "how do you take your tea?"

Penelope side-eyed the men on either side of her and demurely looked at Anthony from beneath her lashes, assessing the situation. Anthony rolled his lips together and wondered how his packmates could stand being in such close proximity to her scent. Even across the way from her, it stirred his hindbrain and had it chanting omega at him.

"Milk and one sugar, please," she answered, discreetly squeezing Colin's hand in hers before letting go. Something shrewd in her gaze had him narrowing his eyes. His mother fussed over making the girl her tea, and Penelope gratefully took it before taking a fortifying sip.

"Now," she said as she sat her teacup back into its saucer ", to get this out of the way, Pack Bridgerton, I had no inkling of the nature of my ailment on that day, and I by no means had any intentions of trapping you and yours into an unwanted bond-"

Anthony held up a hand, and she quietened.

"You must understand, Miss Penelope, that given how relations between our packs have gone before, I am finding it hard to believe," his mother makes a noise of protest at this, but he talks louder to drown her out. "I am finding it hard to believe the validity of you not trying to trap our pack into an unwanted bond." He knew objectively that he was being rude and harsh, but the fact was that the Featherington Omega and their interfering mama had been a thorn in his side since the beginning. How could he trust that Penelope was any different, especially in light of her feelings toward Colin? He could not and would not risk the integrity of his pack on it.

To her credit, she did not flinch; instead, she steeled her spine and sat straighter in her seat.

"I do not think I could even begin to defend myself to you, Viscount. I am aware that I have done no wrong. Suppose you wish to question the validity of my statement. In that case, I am sure Mama would point you toward our family doctor and what he witnessed the day of the incident. Until the incident, I had not outwardly displayed any symptoms of being an Omega." She narrowed that blue gaze on him, and he straightened in his seat as her scent gave away her anger at the accusation. Fiery little thing she was, her anger was peppery and sour.

"I think, perhaps", Colin interrupted, inserting himself in the conversation before it went any more south than it already was. "Feelings are all very fired up, and what my brother really wants to say is that we asked you here to clear the air before we involved your mother and our declaration of a marriage and eventual bonding." He gave Anthony a quelling look when he looked about to interrupt. "You are not here to defend yourself; there is nothing to defend; it is obvious to all that this was an incident of fate and no more."

"And, if you were trying to trap us, little Featherington, I believe there were much better opportunities than the Omega Presentation. I can't profess to know you beyond mere acquaintance and your friendship with my sisters, but you aren't the type for showy drama." Benedict quipped, and the grateful little smile she threw him grated on Anthony. He huffed a little, drew himself from the armchair he had settled in, and paced in front of the fireplace to help shake out some of the tension in his limbs. The little Omega's scent had sweetened at his brother's attentions, but the pepper and sour of her anger lingered on his tongue. Combined with the sweetness of the strawberry of her scent and the herb fragrance of the rosemary- The pepper and sour were a heady flavour. It made him want to poke the little Omega's ire and then bathe her in pleasure so he could drink the combined taste down.

He clenched his fists, the leather of his gloves squeaking under the stress. If his line of thought continued upon that avenue, he doubted he would be able to let Miss Penelope leave at the end of this.

He suffered a glance in her direction and watched the lift and fall of the creamy white spill of her bosom, tracing his eyes over the freckles dotting her skin. He bet her skin felt like silk and envisioned, briefly, what the sight of his cock in between her breasts would look like. She flicked her gaze in his direction, and he shook himself out of the stupor he had found himself in. He averted his eyes to Benedict, who had his eyebrows raised at Anthony. His brother gave him a look, and Anthony getting the hint turned toward the fire to stare in its depths to give himself time to calm down.

Her eyes felt like a brand on his back.

He could hear his mother talking in the background, no doubt trying to diffuse any tension within the room. The problem wasn't that Penelope would be their mate, for she would. There was doubt about that. He had made sure of it the moment his lips latched onto her neck and tasted her scent in such potency. It haunted him, the feel of her heated skin under his mouth, the tauntingly thin layer of skin on her scent gland ready for him to break and claim her as theirs.

No, indeed, the problem was not that at all; the moment he had tasted her, he knew there was no other for his pack. But he was angry. He was angry that his iron-clad will had failed him. He was angry that he had taken advantage of a young Omega while she was so vulnerable and in his care. Colin he could forgive, the lad always had difficulties in controlling his hind brain, but him? It disgusted him, really; she deserved to debut for the Queen as a newly minted Omega. She deserved to be courted, doted upon, and lavished with gifts by her chosen pack until she was fresh for her heat and ready for a bond. It was the way of things, and he had ripped that from her hands.

There was a lull in the conversation behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see them all darting glances his way, no doubt smelling the disgust in his scent. His little Omega had a forlorn look about her, and his heart squeezed painfully at the implication of that look.

"Miss Penelope," he said a little stiffly ", We will call upon you tomorrow to offer our hand for you- And then we will hammer out the details- If I am not wrong in my assumptions, in three weeks, you will be ready for your next heat, and we will bond then. In the meantime, you will be our intended, and we will marry you- We will court you and get to know you properly after the event. There is no need to go into the bonding afraid and blindsided."

He looks at her then, locking eyes with her firey blue gaze, feels the burn of it and weathers through the emotions that flicker over her face. She looked almost disappointed, and he couldn't blame her, really, but there was not much else he could do in their situation.

She stood and brushed down her dress, making her goodbyes to his family, moving toward the door to escape the room's stifling tension. As her fingertips brushed the door handle, he cleared his throat, and she looked at him over her shoulder.

"For what it's worth, Miss Penelope-" he softens his gaze at this, body language a little pleading in the way he tilts toward her. "I am so very sorry for the way this has happened."

She grins at him then, and it's a little strained, but he can see how genuine it is.

"No need to be sorry, Viscount. All things considered, this was probably the best outcome for me. I know what my chances were on the marriage mart. If even my pretty sister couldn't find a mate before now, what hope did I hold?" she shook her head a little sadly, and his heart went out to her. She left the room at that, and the three brothers watched through the window as she left the house and crossed the road to her own.

Penelope, on principle, was a fastidious reader- She gorged herself on works of fiction, supped on philosophy and poetry like they were a grand meal. Books were her life. She hadn't much else to keep her happy, being the only beta in a family of omegas and alphas.

She was an aberration within the bloodline. It wasn't unheard of for an Alpha and Omega couple to produce a beta within their brood. Unheard of? No- but accepted within the ton? Hardly.

She had been a constant point of embarrassment for her mother. Her father had been emotionally removed from the situation and unfeeling toward her plight. Given Portia Featherington's insistence that he had been the cause of her presentation, she could hardly blame him for his distance.

And then he died.

Part of her was in fury toward him, for how could he stand aside and let her mother treat her so when he had the authority within their family pack to stop it? How could he just go and die and not absolve himself of this fetid hatred within her? It rankled; she had, again and again, looked toward him during the beratings her mother had given her for simply for existing. She was disappointed every time. When she looked at him, he would merely flick the pages of his paper out and hunker down to read.

Her sisters would get the pin money to go out and buy pretty things and frippery, and she would subside on their hand-me-downs. The only good thing about her plump figure was that it meant her dresses were at least new. None of it particularly complimented her figure, and the colours were garish against the red of her hair, but she had made do with what she had. Why waste money on the family beta when she wouldn't score a wealthy alpha husband?

So, of course, on the presentation of the omega debutants, she had gone there with an aching head and a steadily rising temperature, none the wiser of the chaos she would cause. It had started early in the morning; she had woken up to an insistent itch at the sides of her throat. She had been warm, but with the waning heat of the summer easing, that hadn't been surprising in the least. She just dipped a cloth into the water basin in her room, wiped the sweat from her skin, and opened her window to let in some air. She had been irritable at breakfast, and even more so when her mother caught wind of her going to the presentation because she was then put into a court dress, stays pulled tight enough to force the breath from her. She had been late to the Bridgerton home, and she could see the annoyance on the Viscount's face at her tardiness. The tart scent of blackberries and cedar tickled her nose when she passed him. She wanted to bathe herself in it.

The bright spot had been seeing Franchesca looking radiant in her presentation dress, the cream silk and silhouette of it rather simple, but there was an understated elegance to it that was all Franny.

And then the incident occurred.

It had all been so quick. She had been hot and irritable, and it was like all the scents in the room were overwhelming her. When Franny had squished back into the family group and Colin had pushed closer to her, his scent had made her almost swoon. She was sure she would have if it had not been for the steadying hand of the Viscount and Colin on the small of her back. Colin was all caramel and rum, a hint of something spicy- Almost like the fruit in mince pies, making her head spin.

She had just righted herself and gotten back her equilibrium when Omega Jameson had careened through the crowd and all but thrown her into the arms of Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and knocking Colin over in process.

His arms caught her around the middle as she fell back into them, and then he, taken by surprise, fell back as well. The heat of him pressed against her had been... Eye-opening in a way she couldn't explain, and then when she tipped her head to the side to cry out an apology, his mouth had found her neck. His lips had been surprisingly soft against her, and then a spark of something that was almost electricity had raced through her body, leaving her momentarily breathless. Colin had then directed her face to his gaze where he ad fallen beside them, his fangs had descended and despite that he pulled her into a gentle kiss. Anthony's tongue had found her scent gland and between the two brothers, the shot of heat that pierced her as a wetness started to drip down her thighs were startling in their intensity. She melted into his hold, becoming putty in his hands as he licked at the pulsing spot on her neck and Colin's kiss become more ardent, more sipping and biting in nature. Their scents coated her tongue, the heady scent of blackberry, cedar wood and musk of Anthony and the caramel, rum and spice of Colin clouding her until all she could think and feel was them. She moaned into the feeling and as suddenly as their lips found her, just as suddenly they're ripped away from her. Penelope vaguely remembers seeing Violet bridgerton crouched before them, hissing something urgent at the Viscount before she is pulled to her feet and hurried out of the building, chaos left behind with her every forward step away from the presentation.

She had been bundled up into the Bridgerton family carriage and taken to her home where her mother is absent and the only person available to take her into the house is Mrs Varley who struggles to push Penelope up the stairs and into her room which she is promptly locked into.

Her skin had felt so heated that it felt like it would peel off with every brush of her dress against her and in her blind fumble to take it off, she rips the lacings keeping her caged inside it. Her fingers are bloodied and her Omega claws are wicked sharp as they rip her clothes to shreds.

She feels feral, all hindbrain, like any thought and purpose in her had been shut off to let her animal side loose. Heat cramps her gut until she is curled over on the floor, face pressed into the hard wood as she unleashes a guttural scream. Her only thought is of her Alpha's, and she sobs the word out as her fingers gouge claw marks into the floor.

She doesn't know how long it is before her mother and their doctor come into the room, but she is bodily picked up by a few beta footmen who wrestle her kicking and screaming onto her bed. She is cuffed to the bed with heat cuffs and she's inspected by the doctor who feels at the pulsing glands on her neck and pulls her top lip up to see the sharp canines peeking out. Words are exchanged that she can't understand and the betas have to hold her legs apart so the doctor can examine her digitally, he steadfastly ignores her panicked cries of 'No' as he does so. He gathers some of the wetness from between her legs and bottles it up before putting it in the bag he brought with him. Nausea and horror at the invasive nature of it all warred in her stomach with the pulsing cramping that had her curling her knees up to her chest as she tilted her head to the side and vomited all over the beta who had been holding her open.

Five days, five miserable days of pain before her heat had broken. Mrs Varley had flitted in and out of the room, she hadn't seen her mother since the brief glimpse she got when the doctor came to inspect her. A humiliation she wondered if every Omega must endure. Do Alpha's have their knots measured and their spend collected during their ruts? She somehow doubted it.

When it is clear she is again of sound mind a tub is brought in and filled with hot, soapy water where she is scrubbed down 'til her skin is pink. Her hair is washed and when she is out of the tub, a neutral scented oil is combed through her curls to bring them back from their limp state. Her bedding and the scrap remains of her dress are taken from her room and she is stuffed into a muslin day dress before her mother deigns to visit her. She feels raw and vulnerable in a way she never had before, and it sours her scent.

"I truly do not know where to begin Penelope" her mother says after a moment, "if you hadn't managed to snag the Bridgerton pack due to all of this nonsense, we would have not known what to do with you, we can barely afford your two sisters let alone yours."

"That is hardly my fault" Penelope says, her voice hoarse from all the screaming she had been doing.

Portia Featherington's face is grim as she takes in the sight of her daughter, she cocks her head to the side contemplatively.

"No, we both know your father is to blame for the state of our coffers, what is your fault however is the scandal you have caused- Be thankful the Viscount has been forgiving enough to petition the archbishop for your packs marriage licence. You, at most, have three weeks before your next heat, if I was you I would start packing your belongings." And then her mother had turned on foot and left the room. Penelope, feeling loathesome and depressed had curled up in her bed and cried great ugly sobs into the cotton of her sheets. Eventually she had to pull herself up by her bootstraps and put out a Lady Whistledown article, the masses chomping at the bit for news on what had actually gone down at the presentation no doubt. She had all but coated herself in scent neutralisers, they stung her skin and a slight rash raised on the scent glands of her inner thigh area but it was better than going out there smelling like a ripe omega for the plucking.

When she had gotten the invite to tea from El, she had been hesitant at first before her mother had pointed out the need for her to go there and make peace with the family before they become her family. On the day of she is sitting in the drawing room doing some needlework when her mother distractedly tells her to put 'That hideous blue dress from your Aunt on' to endear her to the family, given their colour has been deemed "Bridgerton blue."

She had secretly been delighted.

Her Aunt had it commissioned when she was visiting during one summer, it had been a few years since then but she was happy that since she had gotten it the only place she had grown had been in the chest. The dress was a little tight across her breasts, but she made do with the discomfort for the sake of wearing something she actually liked.

Being around the ABC pack again had been… A riot of feelings. She had, in her panic at seeing all three of them, attempted to escape them but the Viscount had caught her and set her into the settee where his pack-mates had gathered around her. Colin's rum and caramel scent made her pulse hammer, and when she caught Benedict's scent she had to bite the inside her cheek to stop from falling to her knees and presenting to them.

Benedict was all honey and pine smoke, the bouquet of their scents mixing and fogging her senses. The Viscount is tetchy with her, accusatory and biting, his scent bitter in his anger- She can't blame him for it really, after their brush with Marina she understands, but it doesn't stop it from stinging. Colin and Benedict work together on softening The Viscounts verbal blows, and while she has enough Penelope left in her to steel her spine against it the Omega inside her wants to curl up at his feet and beg for forgiveness.

When her canines prick at her lip she knows its time to leave, her pesky biology ready to blare out every signal that she was theirs and ready for them. Mentally and emotionally, she was very much not ready for any of it. She had gone from being the lowly beta in her families pack to all of a sudden an Omega, the ABC packs Omega at that.

"I want a payment for my daughter's ruination" her mothers clipped tone brokered no argument, "It is the least your pack owes mine for your indecent behaviour at the Omega Presentation."

The Viscounts knuckles turn white and he stares down her mother, obviously of a mind that Portia Featherington is mad in her demands for Penelope's hand.

Usually the dowry is paid by the Omega's family to the pack, but sometimes in situations where the Omega's reputation has been ruined, the Omega's family can make demands for reparations. If she were a beta still, she would have been shunned outright, one of the only benefits she could consider from presenting as an Omega so late.

"Within reason" The Viscount grits out, "we will be happy to pay reparations for my pack's indiscretion as well as ask for pack Featherington's Omega's hand in marriage. I have already applied for a marriage licence and it has been granted, all we need now is for your head of house to sign the contract that has been written up and then Miss Penelope can be married to us as quickly as tomorrow morning. Have her things been packed?"

"Of course they have," Portia said haughtily, "she has been packed since the day after her heat."

The Viscount closes his eyes for a moment and flexes his fingers before holding a hand out toward their solicitor that had come along to the meeting. The Beta hands over the contract and Anthony lays it out on the desk between them.

Portia snatches it up and flicks through it, humming at certain parts and scowling at others before she dips her quill into the ink pot and signs her name, and Penelope away just like that.

A weight lifts from Penelope's chest.

"Miss Penelope," The Viscount says, with a nod of his head before he stands and drops to a knee before her, Penelope's hands curl into tight fists as he reachers for her, and it takes her a moment and a nudge from her mother before she uncurls them and presses her hands into his. His thumbs sweep over her tense hands and he looks over them for a moment before looking up into her eyes "I know that this situation hasn't been ideal, but would you do my pack the honour of accepting us?"

Penelope bit her lip, chest tight, and Benedict and Colin stand up to each rest a hand on his shoulders, Colin gives her an encouraging nod and she looks back into the Viscounts eyes before forcing a small, timid "Yes" out.

Relief washes over his face and Colin and Benedict release their held breaths as the Viscount takes her hands in his and rests his forehead against them. He lifts it to let go of one of her hands to dig a little box from his coat pocket, in it is the Bridgerton omega ring, and her heart hurts a little when she realises that this must have been Violet's- And that once upon a time it had been the late Edmund Bridgerton and his packmates presenting this very ring to her. She wonders, briefly, as The Viscount slides it onto her finger, how the Dowager had felt passing the ring onto Anthony to present to her.

Hours later as she sits in the tub, Varley scrubs at her shoulders and she holds her hand out looking as it sparkles in the low candlelight. Varley is muttering under her

all the while, clearly put out at the menial task, but given their current lack of servants within the household she had to make do. Penelope knows that had she not been set to marry into the ABC pack come morning that she never would have gotten such a consideration.

Bathing was expensive, and she had needed a full bath within days of each other.

Portia demanded it once her pack had left, declaring that she needed to get the stink of sorrow off before the morning.

Her sorrow bruised the strawberry of her scent.

When the morning dawns her stomach is in knots, she wants to sick up all over the floor when she sits up and rubs her face before staring blankly before her. She didn't even have a nice dress for this, and it sits uncomfortably in her stomach, the thought of wearing one of the hideous dresses in citrus that her mother bought for her. Portia liked the bright 'happy' colours but it clashed terribly with Penelope's hair and she felt like it made her stand out like a sore thumb.

The lack of anything new to wear probably did not help, it was one thing to repeat outfits, it was another thing all together to wear the same outfits for two years in a row. Her sister's were afforded dresses because they could marry up- Penelope had been a beta, and therefore her needs weren't as important.

She sits there for who knows how long staring bleakly before her, arms wrapped around her knees when Varley strides into her room with a large box in her arms.

"You've gotten a gift from the Bridgerton's" Varley says, dropping the box to her bed with a 'thwump' there's a note attached and it occurs to her that the box is a Madame Delacroix dress box and her spirits lift a little as she fumbles for the letter. Ripping it open the curling, slanted script of Violet Bridgerton greets her.

Dearest Penelope,

I hope this gift finds you well, I sincerely hope you wear it today- See it as my official welcome into our family. My girl, I feel I can be candid with you and admit that I have always had a soft spot for you and I am ecstatic for you to officially be a daughter to me. I know this has been a tumultuous time for you, I hope this gift sees you through it- I always knew you would look beautiful in blue and I cannot wait until I get to see you in it more. Madame Delacroix made this using your last measurements taken by her, I do hope it fits you well, good luck today my dear- I will here there cheering you on.

Much love, Violet

She's sobbing as she reads the letter, scrubbing away tears as they fall before she lets it drop from her fingers and kneels over the box to pull the lid from it. Inside pressed between tissue paper is a dress in a shade of blue she realises after a moment that matches her eyes. There's a vine like flowers lace on the dress and little sequins are sewn into it to enhance the pattern- It takes her a moment to realise that they're little lilacs.

Later when Varley helps her into it, she can't help the way she shifts from side to side in front of the mirror and admires the way it shifts and flares- The way the sequins sparkle under the morning light. She feels beautiful.

Lilacs and rosemary sprigs dress the coiffure her hair is pulled into, and before she knows it she is bundled into a carriage and on the way to her wedding- Butterflies overtake her stomach the closer she gets to their destination, and the steely way her mother looks upon her does not help anything. When they roll to a stop in front of the chapel she swallows convulsively against the tide of nausea that roils through her. Her mother is helped from the carriage first and then, surprisingly the gloved hand that reaches for her is none other than Colin's. He hooks her arm through his without a word to her and squeezes her hand comfortingly once she is on two feet out of the carriage. She is glad for it, the steadiness of him beside her for she is sure had he not been there she would have collapsed. His scent soothes her and makes her heady on it at the same time. Her Omega preens under his attentions and the flare of his nostril tells her just how unsubtle her scent is in how much she enjoys him beside her.

There's a fire in his green eyes when he looks upon her that has her breath hitching. Gods, she had always loved Colin, he was sweet and took time to talk to her where his older packmates tended to forget her existence up until the whole debacle had occurred. He had even written to her and she in turn, him, during his Grand Tour. Had she been an omega at the time it would have been inappropriate, but seeing as she was seen as a beta her mother had merely taken delight in reminding that Colin Bridgerton was not for her.

Funny how the world worked.

He bends to whisper to her, for he certainly has to bend given the height difference between the two of them- and the feel of his hot breath against her ear has her shivering.

"You look beautiful Pen" she looks at him sharply at that and he rewards her with a secret sort of smile that garners him a wobbly one in return. They step into the atrium of the chapel, the small area before the doors leading into the main body of it, and he bends his head in a bow and kisses her gloved hands before straightening, hands still holding hers.

"This is where I leave you little Omega" he says, and she mourns it when his hands let go of hers, he slips through the doors and it shuts behind him with a click.

"Pen!" she's nearly knocked over by Eloise and Franny when the two girls catch her in a hug. They surround her and she almost cries at the sight of them- She had worried she had broken the friendship between them by presenting and causing their brother to claim her very publicly. Her eyes are wet when they pull away from her and she has to blink up at the ceiling to keep the tears at bay.

"We were so worried about you Pen!" Eloise says, raspy voice full of concern, Franchesca nods along emphatically.

"I never knew stoic older brother Anthony had it in him, to be quite honest" is Franchesca's contribution to the conversation that has Eloise making a disgusted noise before pinching her sister for putting that in her head.

Franchesca shrugs at her sister, and she wasn't wrong- The Viscount had dalliances with mistresses in the past but as soon as Colin was deemed old enough to search for a mate he had steadfastly dedicated himself to it. Lone Alpha's tended to have it a little easier then those in packs, but the pack life chose you. Once you sensed the pack strands in another Alpha, your hindbrain rode you until you tied yourself to your packmate. In the ABC packs stroke of luck, they were born with their pack strands tied with their brothers. Some Alpha's were lucky like, their pack coming built in with their family members.

Once the two girls stopped their fussing and moved away from Penelope to make their own way into the church she was left alone in the little atrium. She took in a deep breath, and when the music started and the doors were opened from the inside, she took a step toward her future.

The three brothers were standing at the head of the church, the stained glass gracing them with a cacophony of colour in the morning light. Anthony stood at the head of their pack, stoic, with his hands clasped behind his back. Benedict was next in line, hair artfully coifed and looking handsome in his shirt and tails and then there was Colin. He breath caught in her throat a little at the sight of him, his green eyes were trained on her and he was beautiful, as beautiful as any man could be, really. She locked eyes with all three of her soon to be pack and took measured steps toward them, almost as though she were floating toward them, being pulled there by a taught string leading from her heart. She knew this was the mate equivalent of a pack strand, the moment the Viscount's teeth has grazed her scent glands she had soft bonded with the man- It was the nature of omegas and alphas. One had to be careful where one put their teeth if they did not want to be attached, even if it were a soft bond that could be waited out. It usually took a few months for those to break, but they did not get that pleasure, all had been drawn and signed on the dotted line the moment she had fallen into the two men in public.

When she stood before the priest who began their blessings she found herself quite unable to tear her eyes from the Viscount, he was holding himself stiffly and his gruff 'I do' before the chorus of his brothers acceptance of the marriage came after had her insides churn. She knew he was under duress, but she had hoped he would find it within himself to loosen in some way for her. She's not even thinking of it when she mutters her own acceptance, but as soon as the priest declares them pack she is pulled into a chaste kiss by the Viscount, who then passes her to Benedict who cups her cheeks in his hands and lays a sweet kiss that turns slightly hungry when he slips his tongue into her mouth and all she can taste is his smokey, honey flavour. Colin is last, and its his kiss that seers her sense, his caramel, rum and spice scent is cloying and has her swaying on her feet. His kiss is not the chasteness of the Viscount or the tasting kiss of Benedict. No, his was like homecoming, sweet and tender and all Colin, her friend and the alpha that she got to know in their many letters over the summer.

When he pulled away from her a grin overtook his face, and then, without another word between them all she had been bundled up into the Viscount's carriage and they had been taken, post haste to the grand Grosvenor square house across the way from her own childhood home for the wedding breakfast shared between their families. After they had been fed and watered- their families had wished them well and then they were off to Aubrey Hall to become acquainted.

She was glad to have written her latest Whistledown article the night before, and gotten it to her publisher, because now she was to be escorted in the Bridgerton summer home until her heat. She would be finished with her heat a few days before the opening ball of the season, and for that she was grateful.

When they reached Aubrey Hall, the home that usually was filled with such noise and presence now echoed in its emptiness, she was helped from the carriage by Benedict who hooked her arm through his to take her around the family quarters.

"This" he says with a flourish, pushing open double doors "is the Omega Suite" she is astounded, briefly, by the sheer size of it. The sunken in bed, the high ceiling with gauzy, draping fabrics pulled her eyes, as did the sheer amount of differently textured blankets and pillows, all soft and sumptuous beneath her fingertips as she trailed them over the fabrics. She was in awe of it all, never having seen anything like it. She came from a family that didn't have an Omega den, nor did they believe in them. Their Omega's were tied to the bed posts with heat cuffs, not treated with such luxuries. Benedict clears his throat a little awkwardly.

"This used to be mother's, but it hasn't been used in eleven years and we've had it stripped and re-done since then. Colin and I directed most of the decorating but if there's anything you don't like, you need only say and we will rectify it as soon as possible." She turns to the Alpha, and drops the hands she had brought up to cover her mouth at the sight of the room. Her throat catches a little, and when she replies its with a thick voice.

"It's perfect" is all she manages to get out before she dissolves into tears. Benedict looks mildly alarmed at the sight of them, but Colin who had followed along simply takes her in his arms and rocks her. She can hear words being exchanged over her head, and within moments she feels the heat of Benedict at her back as he leans in to hug her as well. She's not sure how much the two know about her family and how she has been treated by them, but she is sure they garnered some of it from the meeting they had with her mother.

"Shh little Pen" Colin croons, laying a kiss on the top of her head as she calms. Benedict has the foresight to scent her, brushing the glands on his wrists over hers, purring deep in his chest for her comfort. She wiped at her eyes and tried to apologise but neither of the men would hear any of it. It is only when she looks to the doorway where the Viscount stands does she pull away. His eyes are unreadable, there is a touch of dark to his gaze and when it flits over her, she can't suppress the shiver at the weight of it upon her.

The Viscount gestures for his brothers to join him, and tells her that he is having lunch brought up to her. There's a ladies maid who she is introduced to and the little slip of girl, not much older than her, immediately starts to bustle about the room and pack away her things. The maid tuts over her sparse wardrobe, groaning at the bright yellows and the one tangerine orange dress.

"This will not do" she says, hands on hips "there is a modiste close by that we can call upon and have brought here- You're in need of a whole new wardrobe if you don't mind me saying Viscountess- I will ask his lordship if a missive can be sent. I am sure he wants his wife to be in the most flattering of fashions for this season." She fishes through the few night dresses she has and ahahs at the one frothy, blue thing within them. Penelope had secretly had it made for herself on a whim, when she had first realised the money she would be earning with her gossip sheet.

"This is more like it" Tilly, her ladies maid says, spreading it out over the bed to see it properly. "That's proper pretty my lady, and it will suit well for the marriage bed." Penelope flushes a little at this, thoughts of what that would mean flashing in her head.

She is helped out of her wedding attire, curls unpinned from her head and her hair is untangled, the dress she is put into is a light lemon yellow, comfortable enough for lounging about the house in. Her lunch is soon brought up to her, cold meats and cheese with some cakes for desert. After she is finished, she washes up and timidly opens the doors to her rooms. The hall is quiet when she traipses out of it, portraits line the walls, some people who recognises, others she does not. She's sure, like all grand houses there is a portrait gallery she could take a look through- But as Eloise's friend she is glad to know exactly where to go to find the library. She cracks the door open when she reaches it, and much to her surprise Benedict is in one of the cushy seats, ankle crossed over his knee as he perused the book in his hand. He looks up at the little 'Oh' she lets out at the sight of him and beams. His blue eyes twinkle as he takes her in.

"Little Penny!" he crows happily, place-marking his spot in his book with a leather bookmark. He gestures for her to come closer and she does, she goes to perch on the seat next to him but he tugs her into his lap last minute. She lets out a startled sound, tipping over 'til her back rests against the arm of the chair and she is gazing up at him. She had never really properly looked at Benedict before, he had always seemed to distracted and far away for her to really get to know him during her friendship with Eloise, and eventually Francesca. All she knew was that he was witty and could paint.

He was handsome, a nice jawline and he looked almost rugged with his slight scruff growing there. He had dark blue eyes, and chestnut coloured hair that had an artfully tousled appearance to it that seemed to be rather fashionable right now. One of his hands found the curve of her waist to steady her, and the smile he gives her is mischievous enough to send alarm bells ringing.

"Now that we are married, I do believe this is the most appropriate place to sit" he says, and when she merely blinks up at him he cocks his head to the side "just how much, Miss Penelope- Do you know of your nature and that of mating?"

She flushes red at the question.

"Well," she begins "I know we are blessed by a clergyman when my heat comes along and anointed with holy oils before I am taken to the den to-" and her flush deepens at this "to mate." He hums at that, circling his thumb where it lay on her belly and she feels the distinct need to squirm.

"Accurate" he concludes "but that really only scratches the surface- There are rituals we need to practice to prime you for mating, things we need to do to you and with you for a bond to take, even those who are destined need to observe these rituals, it's why poor Lady Crane had such a hard time of it, she was not primed and so the bond did not complete."

She had never heard any of this before, and her eyes are wide as she stares up at him.

"Wh- What are those rituals?" she asked warily.

"Close proximity, which means sitting in our laps, cuddling and kissing, then there are the care taking parts of it where we will need to feed you and help you bathe and scent mark you each morning. There is a" and he grins at this "sexual nature to some of this- Shall I go on?"

She sits up a little, intrigued, what could that mean?

"Yes" she urges and he winds an arm around her waist to pull her til' she is straddling his lap so they can see eye to eye. Her skirts are rucked up to accomodate the new position she was in and his hands quickly find her thighs, fingering the ribbon tying her stockings up.

"Mmm, you see little Penny, we as your alphas have to bring you to dizzying new heights" he murmurs, eyes half lidded as he stares at her, he brings a hand up so he can cup her jaw and thumb at her mouth. Her mouth drops open just enough that she can taste his scent in the air. "And we get to feed our alpha come into your pretty little mouth." She's not sure what that means, but her innards clench at it "to prime this wonderfully soft body of yours to take our knots." Penelope gasps and he slips the thumb into her mouth. She closes her lips around it, sucking on it, instinct making her tongue touch at it in a gentle swirl as his gaze heats on hers "That's it lamb" he hisses "you'll wrap those lips around our cocks just like that." She's dizzy with the taste of him, and he pops his thumb from her mouth so that he can settle his hand on her thigh again. He slips his fingers under her skirt and looks at her in askance, and when she looks confused her chuckles a little.

"They really do keep you omegas without any information, don't they?" he asked and when she nodded he curses softly under her breath "What I want to do, is slide my fingers up your skirt until I touch the most intimate parts of you" he purrs "I want to drag my fingers through your slick and gather it onto my fingertips" he drags his hand up and over her skirt, so that there is cloth between them "and touch you right here" and he presses his fingers to a spot between her legs that has her jolting in his lap. And oh, that would be wonderful, but before she can contemplate the thought for too long there is a clearing of a throat from the doorway. She startles and goes to move from his lap but Benedict holds her hips down to prevent her from fleeing. He simply smiles and tips his head back to look upside at Colin who is standing in the entrance of the library, a fierce look on his face.

"Ah, Colin," Benedict says as though merely greeting his brother after being caught whispering heat to her was par the course "please, do join us brother." Colin stalks towards them, and leans over the back of the chair so he can catch Penelope in a kiss.

She sighs into it, melting under his mouth, gasping when she feels Benedict slipping his fingers beneath her skirts again and she shifts to give him better access to her. He finds her centre quickly and she moans at the touch of him there, the closest she had ever gotten to the burning need taking over her senses was during her heat. Except, except.

She stiffens suddenly, and Benedict immediately retracts his fingers from her, and Colin pulls back from their heated kiss to look at her with concern. She feels panic bubbling in her chest, she's not sure why exactly, but there is this crawling feeling under her skin and her heart is beating wildly in her chest. She scoots from Benedicts lap and falls to her bottom on the hardwood floor and she's so senseless in her panic that she doesn't notice when she bumps into a table and knocks a half finished glass of whiskey to the floor with a crash. She scoots back further, trying to escape her panic when a biting pain seers her palms. It burns and she holds her hands up to look at them when she sees shards of glass stuck in her skin. She's bleeding and she can hear a curse of breath as one of her Alpha's gently grasps her wrists to lower them enough for him to see.

"Oh Pen," Colin says, "these are very deep, we may need to call for a doctor."

"I'll get Anthony" comes Benedicts shaky voice and she looks up just in time to see him run from the room.

She feels eerily calm now, in the wake of her pain, but her mind seems to float above her, as though she were looking down on the situation from above.

Colin is fussing over her hands, and when she doesn't respond to him trying to ask her questions, he bends down to scoop her up and into his arms. He sits with her on the couch, her cradled in his arms as he soothes her with the rumbling of his purr in his chest. It's not long before Benedict and Anthony are in the room, Anthony crouches before her and pulls her hands to examine them thoughtfully.

"I've already sent a missive to our country doctor" he murmurs, voice quiet and calm for her benefit "there is little we can do for now, it looks like some of this needs stitches- What brought this on you two?" he questions. He lifts his gaze to his brothers and Colin looks to Benedict who sighs and drops himself into an armchair across from them.

"I was telling her what is expected of these coming weeks, she has been informed of nothing it seems beyond the blessing of the bonding. She was aroused by what I was describing to her, and curious- I could smell it in her scent and so I went with it, Colin came in and joined and she was very into it all up until I touched her between her legs." Benedict says, voice hollow.

Anthony looked sharply at Colin "And you can confirm that she was receptive to all of this?" he asked and Colin's purring stuttered to a stop so he could answer his brother.

"Yes, all indications seemed to say so, between her scent and when Ben moved his hand beneath her skirts he went slow enough for her to pull away and when she didn't she ended up moving so he had better access to do so" he says, and she can smell the sudden change in his scent, like the caramel had burned and the acrid smell of it made her nose twitch "You don't think" he breathes, seemingly worried at what he was going to say "you don't think that she was taken advantage of, do you?"

There is a deep crease between the Viscounts eyebrows that she is filled with the sudden urge to press her thumb to and soothe away. She knows, on some level that she should say something but its like her voice is stuck.

"I truly do not know" he says in return.

"She didn't seem to know much of anything that I was telling her" Benedict says, and all around her their scents are a mixture of sad, angry and fearful. "Surely if something untoward happened, she would have some inkling."

The Viscount shakes his head, "That is not always the case" he says gravely "sometimes they simply do not have the words to put to it to understand the nature of what has happened to them."

"Christ," Benedict breathes, and she can hear this overwhelming sadness in his voice "I have truly messed up." She wants to crawl to him and lay her head on his lap, let him know that she doesn't blame him, its all her own fault. She realises now that during her heat when the doctor attended to her, it seemed to have scrambled her senses. She should have known, really, that being intimate meant that she would be touched between the legs- and that it would not agree with her one bit. She awoke sometimes, shaky and scared and can remember how it felt to have her legs forced apart by the betas and how the doctor probe at her. It had hurt, and it had knocked loose something that she needed in order to be a proper Omega.

When the doctor finally calls upon them, he tuts at the sight of the deeply embedded glass shards.

"Aye," he says "glad ye called for me lads, the Miss needs stitches to at least two o' those-" he prods gently around the area and hisses when she flinches "there ye are, tha' one hurt- Sorry for tha' one my Lady, needed to see how deep it went."

The Doctor, who she later finds out is named Wilson sets about tweezing the glass from her hands before stitching two of the deep gashes left in her palms, he then wraps it securely and ties it off. She feels more herself now, and when supper is called she is finally able to speak again, and the first thing she does is apologise.

"I'm so sorry to have worried you all" she says as her alphas walk her down to the dining room, Benedict shushes her before stopping long enough to pull her into a tight hug.

"Not your fault little Penny, sometimes our bodies and our minds don't quite align after we've been through something hard- Anthony might even tell you one day the fits he goes through since we lost our father" he murmurs and she notices the tick in the Viscounts jaw at that, clearly it is a sore topic.

Colin is the one to pull her into his lap this time, and she can't help but feel embarrassed when the viscount starts to cut her food up for her before feeding her. When she hesitates he huffs in what sounds like annoyance before he cups her jaw in his hands so that she is looking at him.

"Penelope, even without your hands being out of commission we would be doing this- It is part of the care taking rituals we need to observe in the lead up to our bonding. I understand that being a presumed beta up until very recently that you have not gone through an Omega education, and we will try to rectify that so that you understand why it is that this is necessary but until you gain a better understanding please let us lead you through it all" he says and she nods.

When he presents the food to her again, her mouth drops open and she takes it in without fuss. She soon finds that is leaves her Omega hindbrain satiated and purring and quiets its loud instincts blaring at her. It turns out its enjoyable being fed, if a bit infantilising. She realises now though, that care-taking is a very strong part of an Alpha's instincts, more so than they are led to believe when receiving a beta education.

It was all very "they are the protectors" and "prone to violence due to territorial instincts."

And, she gazes at the leader of their pack and wonders if maybe she can start seeing him as Anthony the more she gets to know him. Calling him the Viscount to herself seemed appropriate, he's older than her and always seems to have an air of authority around him. Colin takes over when it comes to feeding her desert and he kisses the sugar from her lips after. She's taken to her den after, feeling full and tired. Tilly excitedly goes about dressing her in the nightgown that's all frothy and blue, she brushes out the tangles in Penelope's hair before brushing through a sweet smelling oil. She dabs something on the hollow of her throat before leaving the room. When the door opens next, Colin and Benedict are there, and she's a little sad to see that the Viscount is not there to join them.

"Is the Viscount…?" she trails off and the two brothers share a look and Colin shuts the door behind him before he and Benedict come close to her.

"Not tonight Pen" Colin says, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"You, little Penny look good enough to eat" Benedict says from behind her, and she looks over her shoulder at him and smiles.

"I do think that was rather the point" she says, gesturing down to the sheer nightgown. You could almost see the colour of her nipples it was so sheer.

Colin frowns a little and his hands find the swell of her hips.

"Do you know what usually happens on the night of a marriage?" he asks her and she shakes her head no, knowing all to well now that she is very ignorant in the way of things between a man and a woman.

"Usually," he says, squeezing her hips "we lay together for the first time, to consummate the marriage- But given your reaction today, I think it is best that we hold off on any of that until you feel more comfortable."

"But" she begins before stopping and frowning "what if we did something different, or tried it differently so that I did not react?"

It was silent for a moment, and then "Well, there is something" Benedict says slowly, and Colin hisses at him in discouragement.

"I want to try it" she says and Colin ceases his berating of his brother.

"Do you even know what it is?" he questions her, and she feels herself grow angry.

"Of course I do not, but I want to learn and I want to be able to move passed this issue I have so that I can go about my life and live it properly" is her reply, christ, she knew she was ignorant, but she was always, always willing to learn. "If you wish for me to make an informed to decision, it is best to start talking now and inform me" she adds primly.

"Well, little Omega" Benedict purrs from behind her "One of us would lay you out on the bed and touch and taste your body, kiss those beautiful lips of yours while the other puts his mouth between your legs until you reach the divine."

She blinks at that. Oh.

A mouth there, really?

"I bet you taste the same way you smell, all strawberries and lilacs" he mutters, pushing up against her back "Omegas tend to taste of their perfume, did you know? So do Alpha's, you will have no issues with the taste of us when it comes time."

And oh, wouldn't that be marvellous? She already felt her head spin at their scents, at the taste of them on the roof of her mouth- She could only imagine what it would be to drink direct from the source.

"Do you think you could handle that Pen?" Colin asks, searching her eyes.

"Yes" she says in a breathy voice she has never heard from herself before "please."

It's all they need really.

Colin kisses her heatedly while Benedict kisses down her throat, licking at the scent glad there before rasping his teeth over them, they're blunt unlike when the Viscount did the same to her, and she wonders if his canines descended in response to her heat? But her wondering is soon put to a stop when Colin pulls at the ties keeping her gown on. It falls to the floor in a flutter of fabric, pooling around her feet before he ducks down to suck a nipple into his mouth. Benedict plucks at the other between his fingertips and her head lolls back onto his shoulder as she lets out a shocked moan at the heat of Colin's mouth. When he releases her he swaps with Benedict and lavishes the same treatment on the other. Benedict walks her backwards until he has her lain out on the bed beneath them. He kisses her then, pulling her attention from Colin as he lays sucking kisses down her body until he is laid out between her legs, pulling her lower lips apart so he can gaze upon her.

"Oh Pen" he says "gods you're beautiful, all pink and wet for your alphas" she squirms at his praise and before she can say anything in turn he dives down and feasts upon her.

His mouth is so hot, so warm and wet and perfect on her that she arch's her back and digs her heels into his back. She chances a glance down at him as Benedict takes over where Colin had left off from her breasts and the sight of both these men worshipping her body just about does her in.

"Penny," Benedict says, voice hoarse with need "sweet girl," his voice cuts off in a moan when she presses a palm to the hardness between his legs, the omega within her is begging for him, begging for the hard heat she feels there. She wants to taste him.

"II want" she says in a moan "I want to taste you Alpha."

Benedict curses before undoing his pants and reaching in to pull himself free of their confines. She's never seen a man's intimate parts before but she's sure Benedicts ranks as one of the prettiest she will ever see. He's all hard and the tip of his cock peaking out, pink with fluid beading at the top. It makes her mouth water to see him and when he shuffles over so she can taste him the explosion of flavour on her tongue has her grinding herself against Colin's hot mouth. She can't seem to do much for Benedict but the alpha seems to know that and so he makes work of fisting his length up and down while her tongue laps at the stream of his come leaking from it. The honey of his flavour makes her eyes roll back and she takes the head of him into her mouth so she can get more of it. She feels this burbling heat in the bottom of her stomach that spreads through out her body, she's sure she's about to reach this divinity that Benedict spoke to her about when she grasps Colin's hair between her fingers.

"You're such a good girl little Penny" Benedict groans "such a good Omega, god you wicked little thing" his hips jolt a little and more of him is pressed into her mouth. She doesn't care, the feel of him sliding into her mouth is incredible. "Is our little Omega going to come on my brothers face while she drinks down my seed?" he asks her and she hums around him, causing him to let out a noise that she wants to hear again and again.

Colin sucks the place Benedict had touched over her dress between his lips and she falls to pieces, the tingling pleasure wracks her body with shivers as she moans around Benedict and when he groans too, the honey of his flavour gushes into her mouth and she does exactly as he predicted and drinks him down.

When he is done he falls to the side and flings an arm over his head as Colin lays soothing kisses on her thigh.

There's this pulsing need riding her insides, like she needs something inside her to feel whole. The pleasure she felt at Colin's touch still shakes through her but she can't help the feeling that something fundamental is missing from it.

"I need something" she sobs "I don't, I don't know what it is but my insides ache for it."

Colin glances up at Benedict and the other alpha gives his brother a look in return. She can't decipher it, its beyond her grasp.

"What you need little one" Benedict says "is one of our alpha cocks in that pretty little cunt of yours- Your instincts are riding your body right now, we can let the feeling pass by holding you or Colin can help you, it is up to you Pen. All of this is."

Colin sits up until he is on his hands and knees over her so he can kiss her forehead and her cheeks.

"No pressure Pen" he murmurs "I am happy to do whatever it is you require of me."

"I want you" she says, a hand moving up to cup his cheek, he presses a kiss to her bandaged palm. His head drops to press his forehead against hers and he shucks his pants before pressing the blunt head of himself to her opening. He gathers some of her slick from there and rubs himself up and down her, paying attention to the nub between her legs that has her gasping. He makes an 'o' face with her and presses into her. He's big, so much bigger than she though possible and there's a twinge of pain before her body melts for him and he slides into her deeply.

She's not in heat, so he won't knot her but she can't help but wonder if he feels this big within her, how big would his knot stretch her?

He slowly fucks into her, and every time his body becomes one with hers again she sobs out a sound that has him dropping kisses on her face. He feels- Well, there isn't really any words for how he feels as he drives into her again and again but she wishes she could voice them in a way that expresses just how mind numbling good he feels.

"Gods Pen" he groans, eyes intent on hers as they can be "this pussy of yours is so hot and wet for me" she squeezes him between her thighs when he says that and it seems to spur him on until she is jolting with how hard he is fucking her into the bed.

Benedict somehow worms a hand between their bodies so he can rub a soothing thumb over that pleasurable place. Her head flings back into the pillowy mattress and she's falling apart around her alpha, insides clenching around him as they milked the come out of him. She has never felt such satisfaction in her life, she huffs a laugh as Colin drops his face into the crook of her neck, soothing a tongue over her scent glands there. He pulls out of her and sits up to spread her legs and look between her thighs. She squirms a little under his gaze but his fingers find her centre. She stiffens a little and he pauses, eyes on her and when she gives a little nod the smile he gives her back is a wonder to behold. He scoops some of his spend on his fingers and pushes it between her lips, she sucks it off his fingers- The combined taste of them mixed with the lingering taste of Benedict in her mouth has her eyes rolling back in her head as she hums.

She wonders how the Viscount will taste with his tart, Blackberry and cedar scent.

She finds, with her satisfaction comes sleep, she hears the murmur of voices as she is cleaned up, and snuggles into the body that slips in next to her in the bed. At first she thinks its Colin or Benedict but the scent of the Viscount fills her and this rumbling fills her chest as he purrs her to sleep.

Chapter 2

Notes:

There is a bit of weird body shit that happens when you're an omega in this, nothing bad or too ick??? I dunno man, my barometer for weird Omegaverse stuff is waaaaay off after all the books and fanfic I have consumed on it.

-shrugs into outer space-

There's a not a lot of plot and a hella lot of smut in this, but hey, poor girl has three Alpha's to tend to, and they're literally on their ~bonding moon~

Things to watch for: Pen has the realisation that she's been treated very differently to her sisters during their heats but figures it was a monetary thing rather then her mother being the worst.

Chapter Text

Colin wasn't sure what to think when Penelope Featherington had come into the foyer of Bridgerton House on Grosvenor Square smelling of ripe strawberries and lilacs- Something herby he couldn't quite put his finger on. He had been struck dumb at the scent of her, but just as soon as it had hit his nose and utterly destroyed him it was gone. He had been left bereft at the loss of it, and when Benedict had clapped a hand on his shoulder to jolt him from his revere, he hadn't been able to rip his eyes from her.

During the presentation her scent had tantalised him on and off with every shift of her hair, every flutter of her fan, he had been pushed right next to her when Fran had joined them and when she had swooned he had caught her on one side of her waist while Anthony had caught the other. He hadn't been able to put voice to it at the time, but the heat of her body pressing through the fabric of her dress had… Unhinged something within him.

When the Omega in his flight had barrelled into them and knocked them down like pins into each other it had set alight a series of events he wasn't sure he would ever quite believe.

'Imagine,' he couldn't help but think he would tell their pups one day, 'the catalyst to finding your mother- Whom had been under my nose the entirety of our lives since childhood- Had been an omega knocking Papa Anthony and I down with embarrassing ease.'

He could just imagine their pups now- A riot of bright red ringlets to a mess of chestnut brown curls, at least one pup from each of them with eyes that match their's and a little girl with Pen's sweet little tilt of a nose would be a sight to see.

He glances down at Pen now, face pillowed on Anthony's chest as his brother purred for her, even in his own sleep. Her mouth was in the sweetest rosebud, and had he not been watching her to soothe the nightmare from her brow he would have leaned down to kiss that mouth. Finding out his Omega was his dearest friend had felt left of field at first; but once he had thought about it all for more than a moment during that agonising fortnight she had been sequestered away to wait out her heat, it had been the only thing in his life thus far that had made any sense.

Her eyebrows drew together again in a frown and a noise escaped her mouth, a terrified little 'No' on her lips that made his own frown deepen.

'Oh Pen,' he thought as he soothed a hand down her naked back 'what have you endured?'

As she roused within Anthony's arms, chest rising and falling rapidly Anthony's eyes flew open. He turned his head to look at Colin, a silent conversation passing between the two of them before his brother passed her into his arms and sat up from his spot on the bed.

"I'm going to see to the ledgers- I take it Benedict has already taken off in a fit of artistic inspiration?" at Colin's hum in acknowledgement he made a huffed noise of laughter. Leaning down Anthony pressed a kiss to Penelope's brow, lingering long enough to nudge his nose along hers before standing to leave the room. He pauses there a moment at the door before looking back over at Colin, face etched in a level of seriousness he hadn't seen since he'd been guns at dawn with Hastings. "Find out what happened to her Colin, I want names to add to my list." Colin nods at his brother's request, sighing a little as he watched him slink out of the room and press the door closed quietly.

Colin really did not know what he did to be burdened with such stupid brothers, sometimes.

Once he is sure Penelope has settled he stretches out over the bed, before rolling over to sling an arm over her waist and cuddle up to her lovely behind. She sighed in her sleep and melted into his hold rather deliciously, that plush bottom of hers pressing into him. If he hadn't moments before been soothing a nightmare from her he would be tempted to awaken her by scenting her with his tongue on her scent glands. Nothing like ripe, tart, strawberries for breakfast.

He falls to sleep at some point, nose pressed into her hair, drinking in her perfume.

When he awakens next she's stirring in his arms and a curse falls from his lips when he realises she's slick between her thighs and rubbing up against him like a little cat in heat.

"Colin," she sighs and his lips latch onto that reddened patch of skin, strawberries and lilacs exploding over his tongue like a decadent drink. She arches back into him, the tangle of her red hair fanning over her pillow. Her cheeks are pinked, as are the tops of her breasts, which his hands find and his deft fingers make work of those gorgeous pink nipples of hers.

When she moans, he turns her face just so and they're kissing in a clash of tongues and teeth. He nips at her lips until they are red and swollen and her blue eyes are a narrowed haze upon him when he pulls back. He lifts one of her shapely legs, draping it over his hip so he can drive into her in a sharp thrust.

"Colin!" she cries out, eyes fluttering closed as her head falls to his shoulder. He soothes a hand through her hair as he fucks up into her, the wet heat between her legs encasing him beautifully, and he peers at the mirror across from them and watches the depraved sight of her sweet little pussy stretched over his Alpha cock.

"You're such a good girl Pen" he husks into her ear as he nips at it "look at the way your pretty little cunt takes me" he slips a hand down to strum at her swollen clit and it takes her a moment to notice the mirror. It's one of those grand ones with flourishes, leafed in gold and wide enough to act as a looking glass for the voyer. He wishes he had Benedict's propensity for painting, and he wonders, later, if he can encourage his brother to fuck her just like this, in this very same position to invigorate his artistic talent for the womanly figure. Because she is all woman, all spread out before him to eat up in his gaze. He hopes she can see herself as beautiful as he sees her right in this moment.

Her breasts are heavy, and they look perfect cupped in his hands, the creamy white of her skin speckled with freckles looking so sweet against the tan of his. She comes around him in hitching sobs of breath, and he croons words of praise into her hair as he loses himself within her. He knows his come isn't going to take seed within her but he can't help but imagine it as he pushes his cock through the mixture of her slick and his spend, fucking it into her until his own toes curl and he comes again.

He scoops some of it from between her legs and feeds it to her, and she hums as she sucks the taste of them from his fingers, all caramel and strawberry.

"Colin" she says, tipping her head back so she can plant a kiss on his jaw. He cuddles her close to him, breathing the scent of the both of them in.

"Good morning pretty Pen" he says, and the smile she gives him leaves him a little stunned. He's going to hate bursting this little bubble of contentedness they have surrounding them, but, he figures that can come after they eat.

He helps clean her up and then himself so he can call for breakfast, the maids are quick and efficient and even her Ladies maid Tilly is up and about ready to get Pen primmed and put together for the day. She shuffled his little Omega off to her dressing rooms and he huffs a little breath of disbelief when the girl makes comment to Pen about how the nightgown must have worked a treat.

And, well, it had. He wanted to get her more like it, all froth and lace- All most see through in nature, just enough to see those pink nipples of hers.

Breakfast arrives before Penelope does, and he sets it out for her, making her tea to her specifications (One sugar, a dash of milk.)

"Oh, Colin!" she says when she sees he's made her tea, taking a sip of it she grins at him, cheeks flushed in pleasure "you know how I take my tea."

"Of course Pen, you are my friend." He says simply. She eyes him after that sentence, head cocked as she regarded him.

"And I suppose friends tup their friends with the same enthusiasm you displayed this morning Mr. Bridgerton?" she asks coyly and he grins back just as coy in return.

"Ah, yes, especially if those friends are compatible as we Pen-" his face turns serious for a moment as he lets his gaze trail over her, from the red singlets of her hair to the freckles across her sweet nose and cheeks. "It should have been obvious, really" he murmurs, and she frowns at him.

"What should have been obvious?" she asks, and he leans over the short distance so he can tangle his fingers in her hair and kiss her soundly. When he pulls back he leans his forehead against hers, eyes still closed as he nudges his nose along hers.

"This" he answers, blinking his eyes open to look into the aquamarine of her eyes "us, Pen- Mother has always told us that our Omega will be either our dearest friend or will become our dearest friend and you are my dearest friend Pen- I was simply too blind to see it before."

She sighs a little shakily before her lips capture his again.

Eventually, they finish their breakfast and he takes her for a walk around the grounds, she's walked these paths hundreds of times through visiting them during the summer months and since her sister's presentation during the Bridgerton Ball his mother would host. This year, the hostess responsibilities would be shared with Penelope, to give her an idea of what is being asked of her in the coming years. There was a lot that went into being a Viscount's pack Omega, they had tenant farmers that had to be seen to, and a small village a little way aways that they liked to help create revenue for. Anthony, as Viscount would act as judge in judicial hearings so they always had to prepared for that to happen, he also had to head the collection of taxes. It tended to be his least favourite part of his title but he made sure his tax collectors were the reputable and fair sort.

He had learned to vet them before sending them out because when he had first taken over as Viscount the not good sort had tried to take advantage of his younger age, he had sorted it out when he realised what was happening through complaints that came his way but the damage had been done. It took a while to make the correct reparations to the villagers that had been taken advantage of, but he had done it, and their wealth hadn't been hurt for it either.

Colin looked down at Penelope who had titled her face toward the sun, her dress a light lemon yellow and one of the least offensive of what her mother had made her wear. The local modiste was coming in the afternoon with her pack of seamstresses under her care- A few in the past had even gone on to open shops in London that were doing quite well amongst the middle class.

They were even sending a courtesy carriage along so she could bring along bolts of fabric to see what colours would work best with Pen's colouring. His little omega tilted her face toward him and smiled at him, those pretty eyes of hers twinkling and he couldn't help but think she'd look rather fetching in the soft dusky purple of one of the facets of her scent. Lilac would look wonderful with her hair and eye colour.

He remembers how pretty and sweet she had looked in her pink, floral dress from her first season and would be quite pleased to see her in something similar.

He gently manoeuvres her toward the big oak tree so they could take a seat and she lets out a little content sigh as he pulls her down into his lap.

"Pen," he starts, and pauses a moment, thinking of how best to bring this up. "I really regret needing to ask this of you- But we need to know what happened yesterday, we don't want to accidentally trigger that response in you ever again if we can help it." He prompts, she stiffens in his arms and he nearly growls when she goes to move out of his lap, but instead of leaving him she simply swings around to straddle him to look him in the eyes.

"It's all very silly, really" she says, looking down at her hands "when I was in heat mother brought the family doctor and a few betas into my room" his jaw tightens, an Omega's heat was sacred, and bringing anybody in without permission from the Omega to enter into their nest was disturbing to him.

"I'm sure this happens to every Omega when they have their first heat- They had me cuffed to my bed with heat restraints, an- and the betas were made to hold my legs apart so the doctor could" she bits her lip and he can feel her heart beating with anxiety beneath his palm on her back "so he could inspect me and collect some of my slick- I'm sure he was testing it for something and maybe checking to be sure my maidenhead remained intact."

"Christ Pen" he chokes out, "none- Not one part of that is correct procedure for an Omega's first heat, not even the collection of slick. The cuffs have been out of practice since medieval times, what happened to you was barbaric Pen- There's a reason why cuffs were fazed out. It caused undue stress on Omega's." He stands, scooping her into his arms and walks steady paced and furiously toward the house. She weakly protests in his arms, but he can tell that she's just as stunned by these revelations.

A footman watches gobsmacked as he opens the door for Colin, and Colin tells him to gather Benedict from his studio to meet them in Anthony's office.

He finally stops when he reaches the door to Anthony's study, he kicks the door to gain his brother's attention and when Anthony opens the door he walks past his brother and sits on the lounge in there with Penelope in his arms. She's gone quiet and it takes him a moment to realise that she's sucking in panicky little breaths.

"What the devil is going on?" Anthony demands and Colin holds up a hand to stall the questions so he can pull Penelope closer and purr her back into a semblance of calm. Once her breathing has evened out he apologises for frightening her, but she merely shakes her head in response.

Benedict comes into the study not long after that, clocks the scene before him and promptly shuts the door with a snap in order to prevent anyone from overhearing what they shouldn't.

"Do you want to tell your Alpha's what you told me or do you want me to tell them?" he asks her quietly and he has to lean in to hear her say "You, please."

He straightens in his seat, pulling Penelope's face into his neck so she could use his scent for comfort as he couldn't purr and speak at the same time.

"The way she was treated during her heat was barbaric" he says, voice as steady as he can make it "they had her chained up with heat cuffs-" Anthony swears at this, pacing the room in his anger "And her mother" he sneers at the word, for that woman certainly did not deserve the title "allowed a doctor and several betas in during Penelope's heat, the beta's held her open so he could examine her and collect her slick."

Ben's face has gone pale and he glances at Anthony and his brother's share a look that means they likely picked up on something he didn't.

"Oh little Penny" Benedict says, falling to his knees before her, grasping one of her hands in his "no wonder you panicked sweet girl. If we ever do something that ever makes you feel like that again, I need you to tell me Omega- Our primary instinct is to care for you and this is part of caring for you." Colin nods in agreement, and Penelope pulls her head out of his neck so that she can lean down and kiss Benedict sweetly before pulling away again.

"I've been wondering ever since your run in with Lady Crane where it was that she got the pheromone enhancer and now I think I have a very clear understanding of exactly where she got it from." Anthony says, his back is turned to them and he can see his brother clenching his fists together.

"Penelope" he says, turning to look at her "if you feel up to it, please let me know who your family doctor is- I believe he is up to some very unlawful business indeed."

"Of course" she says, looking at him, expression just as serious, like she knows exactly the implications Anthony is making. Anthony smiles then, eyes softening as he looks at her.

"Brave Omega, thank you" he says in a quiet, revenant way.

Brave, the Viscount called her, Penelope Feathe- No. Bridgerton, brave.

She's sitting in Benedict's lap being fed lunch, and he intermittently nuzzles into her neck and laves his tongue over her scent gland- She shivers as he does it again, this time taking the time to worry his blunt teeth over it. She groans at that, tilting her head to the side to give him better access. The Viscount is at the head of the table hidden behind a paper and Colin is sitting next to them feeding her small bites of the chocolate torte that had been brought out for desert.

If this was what being part of a pack was like, she could be happy the rest of her days.

The Viscount lowers his paper just enough to give Benedict a look over it that spells trouble for the other Alpha, Benedict just gives his brother a smarmy smile and goes back to the work he was making of her neck. She's like a puddle in his arms, and isn't it ridiculous how much better being an Omega is? Not that being a beta had no merits, being virtually invisible to other people, while lonely, meant she went undetected in her business.

That falters her good mood for a moment, she was going to have to tell her Alpha's that she's the infamous Lady Whistledown, wasn't she?

Gods she was not looking forward to it. She knew the Viscount in particular held no love for the gossip columnist. Dread twists in her gut at the thought- What if they rejected her? What if they handed her over to the Queen upon their return to London in the coming weeks?

A nip at her scent gland pulled her mind from the what ifs whirling about in them and Benedict squeezed her around the middle.

"Where did you go just then Kitten?" he asks, and she squirms in his lap at that nickname. He chuckles into her hair and the Viscount drops his paper abruptly, springing to his feet. She jolted a little in surprise but the Viscount traipsed over to the window to peer out of it. A carriage was coming up on the house, notably a Bridgerton carriage, and she looked at her alpha's a little confused.

They weren't expecting anybody, were they?

Technically this was their period of isolation to facilitate the Omega's heat, Benedict had explained to her. His reckoning was, the more time to do all the fun naughty things without any interruption the more likely the heat would be triggered.

"Oh! They're here, you'll like this one Pen" Colin says, feeding her the last piece of the chocolate torte. She licks the crumbs from her lips and his gaze follows the path of her tongue.

"What will I like?" she questions, sitting up straighter in Benedict's lap, she eventually slides off his lap to stand next to the Viscount and look out at the carriage as it drew to a stop. Footmen and the likes had surrounded it, and she looked on in confusion they pulled bolts of fabric from the storage. Every colour imaginable barring yellow was brought out, and then the men helped down a gaggle of women.

"That, Penelope," The Viscount said, hands clasped behind his back as he gazes out over the grounds as the women and the footmen disappear from view, likely being taken through the servants entrance. "Is the Modiste who is going to refresh your wardrobe." He looks down on her, smiling slightly at the look on her face. She had hoped that she could use Genevieve for it all, but it looks like she would simply have to commission dresses from her another time. She was likely busy with the ton's Omega dresses.

There was a distinct difference in dress for the Omega debutantes, they were always dressed in virginal whites, she had once heard an Alpha remark that they were the Queen's little flock of dove's, the white denoting their designation making them stand out starkly amongst the beta and married omega's. As if they could ever be mistaken for something else.

She kind of regrets not having that opportunity, but, she feels she can forgive them for finding her so quickly once she presented. She couldn't imagine the agony of being an Omega that nobody wanted.

"Thank you," she says, and, standing on her tiptoes she brushes a kiss on the Viscount's cheek. He goes a little red and turns his face away from her before mumbling something about checking to see that the books were ready to be updated with the expenditure on her dresses. She flushed a little at that, embarrassed now, and a little disappointed that the moment she thought they were sharing was gone in the wind.

The Butler comes into the room to announce that the modiste is ready for her and Colin tags along behind her, eager to let know some of his opinions, which he whispers to her as he hooks her arm through his to walk her to the Blue room, where the woman and her seamstresses were set up.

The Modiste is tall and willowy, she smells of the faintest scent of apples and cinnamon, the muted scent of an Omega who had gone through her cooling. Her silver grey hair shone in the light of the day and she clapped her hands together under her chin as she walked around Penelope in a whirl of skirts.

The needle work on her dress was envious and if she had been the one to do it, Penelope was glad that she would be making her some of her wardrobe.

"My Lady" the modiste says, and there's the faintest hint of a French accent "If I could ask for you to strip down to your under layers, I would be happy to start taking your measurements."

Penelope does that, and is happy when the modiste ignores Colin's presence.

She gestures for Penelope to stand on this little platform she had seen upon entering the room and the older Omega sets about commanding her seamstresses this way and that. A timid looking brown haired beta approaches her and starts taking her measurements, calling out the numbers to the Modiste. Her eyes widen a little at her bust measurements and she wasn't sure if she should be offended by that or not.

And then the bolts of fabric were draped over her shoulder one by one. Sometimes the Modiste would outright deny a colour before it got anywhere near her face, but, steadily the pile of "Yes, this colour" grew. The fabrics were a mix of purples, blues and greens and the type of fabrics were a mix of muslin, silks, velvet and silk organza. All of a high quality, and not the cheap, itchy fabrics that her mother would make her wear. Omega's are highly sensory sensitive, some had issues with too much sound, some had issues with too much light. Some, like Penelope, had issues with textures and it makes sense to her now why she would itch at her skin incessantly.

Sure, her father was a Baron, but the way he gambled had left her family in debts and near penniless in the eyes of the ton. Any spare money they did have was spent on her Omega sister's, on getting them a catch. She couldn't rightly blame her mother for that in particular, what she could blame her for was the general mistreatment she suffered as her daughter.

And apparently the lack of care she had received during her heat was just another thing she could place on her mother for. It had been a revelation when Colin had told her that people should ask for permission to enter an Omega's nest while they were in heat. She remembers when her sisters had gone through their first heats, and she wonders if they had been given the same treatment. Had they? She remembers when Prudence had first shown signs of it her mother had taken her about town to buy supplies for it. Later, Penelope had snuck into her sister's room to see what was going on and her mother had been pulling a brush through Prudence's hair, talking quietly to her about how she was going to gain them quite a boon. There had been an excess of pillows about the room, and she's starting to realise now that they were likely nesting materials. She had backed out of the room quietly and passed her father on the way out. He had tapped a hand on her shoulder in passing, a bag clutched in one hand as he left.

"Off to somewhere papa?" she'd asked and he waved a dismissive hand in her direction as he left the hall.

"My Lady?" came the softly accented voice of the Omega modiste, she had sat herself at a desk as she watched the proceedings, a sketchbook in hand as she yes or no'd fabrics. Penelope shook off the memory and stepped off the platform as the Modiste stood from her spot and came to her, sketchbook tucked under one arm. The Seamstresses were cutting small swatches of fabric from the 'Yes' pile, chatting amongst themselves as they went about the menial tasks. The modiste gestured for her to take a seat on the lounge next to Colin and Penelope sat delicately next to him. He was grinning at her as he took one of her hands in his so he could kiss her knuckles.

She flushed a little in delight.

The modiste sat next to her, pulling her attention and opened her sketchbook to the page she had been working on. In it were several different dresses illustrated in pencil, the figures weren't the willowy, perfectly proportioned figures of the fashion plates she had seen. No. these were drawn in her shape. It was strange seeing the soft, romantic lines of the empire waisted dresses of their time actually accentuate her figure in flattering way. Could she look like this? Have her dresses fitted to her bust rather than cutting right across it?

It was all kind of exhilarating to think she could look like this.

"Oh," she said, touching one she liked in particular "these are beautiful, I can only hope I do these justice." The Omega next to her scoffed a little and Penelope couldn't help the little flinch at the sound.

"Don't be silly my Lady, I make fashion that suits my clients, things that they can wear- I do not make fashion that wears them. These will only give you a starting point for curating your wardrobe so that it best suits you and accentuates all your best features." The Modiste said simply "I do not mean to insult you, my Lady, but the dress you came in wearing- it wears you. You have just the right complexion for yellow, oddly enough, but I was told that you've been subjected to the colour quite enough for one lifetime." She gathers the fabric swatches that her seamstresses had cut out and hums under her breath as she matches them to the dresses she sketched out. After a minute or two, with some contribution from Penelope and Colin the modiste had a fairly clear idea of the direction her dresses were taking. Next time, once they had the bases for each dress complete they would look at trimming and embellishments.

"It's my off season" the modiste reasoned "while those wealthy enough to afford my services are out in London- You will be surprised at the turn around I have for client's when my Seamstresses and I aren't run off our feet."

She would need to go into the village where she was established in order to do a few fittings but it wasn't far off and she at least had a week or two before she would likely have to go into proper seclusion for her on coming heat.

The Modiste and her seamstresses left in a whirl of fabrics and laughter and Penelope was left feeling a little lonely now that they were gone. Colin had been pulled away by Anthony at some point so she had been wondering about the house absentmindedly. She stumbled upon a room with tall windows that covered one side of the room, facing the sun to let in the optimal amount of light into the room. Canvases scattered the room and it smelled fairly strongly of linseed oil and turpentine. Benedict was perched on a seat, a paint brush tucked behind his ear as he sketched in his sketchbook, pencil poised in his fingers as he smudged a line. She creeps into the room, not wanting to disturb him but drawn to what he was doing.

"Hmm, Little Penny" Benedict sang out as he made a long sweeping gesture across the page "I can smell you sweetling, no use trying to be quiet. I could tell you were here the moment you stepped into the hallway leading to this room" He shot her a look over his shoulder then, smile stretched across his mouth attractively. There was something about Benedict's smile that was rather special, it overtook his whole face and you could see it in the line of his body. He gestured her forward and when she reached him he hummed happily as he took her in.

"I quite like this look" he murmured, eyes taking her in. It takes her a moment to realise she's still only in her underthings. A maid had left to get Tilly but when Tilly had taken too long she had simply forgotten about her dress.

She flushed a little, touching her hands to her cheeks as they flamed in embarrassment.

"Oh bullocks" she half groaned "no wonder the footmen have been darting out of the room as soon as they've seen me- I've been practically naked!"

Benedict was biting his lip, looking an awful lot like he wanted to laugh at her predicament.

"Have you been shocking the sensibilities of our footmen sweetling?" he asks her, and as though he can't help it, his shoulders start to shake with suppressed laughter.

She harrumphed at him.

"Oh, go ahead Benedict, let it out" she says, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to look serious but failing miserably when he snorts in laughter, they both laugh until there's tears in their eyes and he suddenly pulls her toward him so that she's standing between his legs so he can kiss her soundly. Benedict's kisses left her feeling high, the way he knew to tilt his head just so and the way he expertly swept his tongue into her mouth. The B and C of the ABC pack were really quite talented in this, that was for sure.

He pulls away, that smile that she liked to look at on his face again "So, sweetling- Want to act as my model to wile away the hours until dinner?" he asks and she flushes a little at the question. "It's okay little one, all you have to do is lay down on the settee over there, I'll pose you and then all you have to do is keep that pose for me. I'll even make it a comfortable one."

She looked at the settee, and it was rather cushy looking.

"Okay" she says after a moment and makes her away over to the settee, sitting on it and looking at Benedict. He stands and makes his way over to her, pushing on her shoulders until she is laying on her side facing him. He kneels, sitting back on his heels to examine her, head cocked to the side before he gathers a cushion, urges her to lay on her stomach. The Cushions he placed cradle her pelvis comfortably when he pulls the leg facing him up hiking the skirts of her petticoats up to expose the leg. Her stockings were still in place, ribbon tied them in place and she hears him curse under his breath at the sight. She let him manoeuvre her chest and arms so that she was looking at him again, head resting on the arm under her ear and the other placed in front of her.

The pose was oddly comfortable, and after he had finished fluffing her curls around her face he kissed her on the forehead before standing and walking over to where he had a canvas primed and ready on his easel. He sits in his seat and once again starts sketching, except on the canvas this time. Every now and then he would close one eye and use his thumb to measure out her proportions and then go back to work. He set about mixing paint with something to thin it and she watched him with interest, taking in his every movement. Watching him paint was fascinating, really. Using a larger brush he brushed on a watery brown paint all over the canvas, using his sketchbook he frantically waved it at it to dry it she supposed.

"What are you doing?" she asked a little bemusedly.

"Underpainting" he said, touching a finger to his canvas. He pulled back and examined said finger and went about dipping the paint brush from behind his ear into more of the paint he had used before. "It helps create values and contrast" he said as though it explained everything to her, it didn't but she smiled at him regardless.

"Values and contrast are what gives a painting life- Without them paintings can seem flat and one dimensional" he explains further, looking at her keenly as he paints. "It informs shadow and light- I'll show you what I mean in one of my other paintings later but for now just relax and I'll let you know when I'm done."

She takes that as a verbal dismissal, she's not mad at it, clearly he is in the zone.

She finds herself in a different zone all together as she watches him paint her. The way his hands wrap around the brush, the way his eyes roved over her figure- It was all a little heady. There was a look in his eyes that made her uncomfortably aware of the growing heat between her legs. They were both starved for one another- their instincts riding them to get closer. To touch.

She bit her lip as she watched him, and he caught her eyes with his.

A wicked smile makes its way on to his lips.

She's sure her perfume is just as telling of her predicament as the way she is so subtly trying to slide her legs together to get some relief for the heat she feels in his presence. These Bridgerton Alpha's would be the death of her, a pleasurable death but a death no less.

It feels like hours later when he drops his brush, stands up from his seat and takes three long steps backward so he can look at his work. He squints at his work and nods his head before walking over to a basin of water he has in one corner. He washes his hands with some of the soap there as she sits up to watch him, and after he dries his hands he walks over to a pile of canvases and leafs through them. A moment later he seems to find what he is after and brings two relatively small canvases over for her to see.

He props them up before her and lets her look over them.

"Can you tell which one has an underpainting and which doesn't?" he asks, and she really looks at them then. They're both depicting a bowl of fruit, the one on the left does seem a little flat to her, the fruit doesn't seem as full of life and colour as the other. She looks at the one on the right and it looks as though there is more depth to it, the fruit seems more life like- Like she could take a bite from them and they'd be bursting with juice and flavour.

"The one on the right has the underpainting?" she asks a little unsure, and he smiles at her softly.

"Correct little Omega, they both have the same source light and they both have the same focal point- They were done years apart but I placed the fruit the same and used the same bowl, but one was before I learned about importance of underpainting. I was far too impatient back then and wanted the results right then and there." He leaned the canvases up against the side of the settee and then crowds her until her back is flush with the back of the settee. He leans one arm above her head against the wall and his other comes up to cup her cheek in his hand.

"Now, kitten, how about we make use of the next hour before dinner time my head between your legs, hmm?" he asks her in a husk and she can't help the rise of heat in her cheeks or the way she bares her throat to him. She can see him smirk at that. "I knew you liked that one little Penny- Does my little Omega like being called kitten?" he asks as he puts a knee between her thighs which she spreads for him automatically. He noses his way down her offered throat and draws in her scent, pressing hot kisses as he goes. "The way you perfume for it kitten, do you know why I like to call you that?" she shakes her head "It's because you are so unbelievably cute, so sweet, I can't help but liken you to one- But like all little kittens you have some sharp claws." He picks up her hand and pulls back far enough so he can press a kiss to her palm. He presses his nose to the scent gland in her wrist and hums at the scent of her there. "Not long now little kitty, soon you will be all ours body and soul."

He kisses the skin there and winds his fingers through her hair so he can pull her to him to crush a kiss to her mouth. She tilts her hips up and her centre meets his leg. Her body seems to move all by itself as she rocks her hips back and forth over his leg and he groans into her mouth when her slick makes a mess of both of them.

"Christ," he says between sipping kisses on her lips "the scent of you little one- It's so fucking delicious."

He works his mouth down her throat then, worrying the red gland between his teeth in a way that makes her gasp noisily. He pulls at the neck of her chemise until her breasts spill from it, and then he kisses his way down to them too. Drawing one of her nipples into her mouth, he groans, the heavy feel of them in his hands as he cups them. Penelope can't help the sweet little sighs that escape her as he lavishes attention on them.

At some point he makes his way off the settee so he can kneel between her legs, he tugs at her skirts and she lifts her hips so he can pull the damp fabric away from her and up around her waist. He doesn't waste time as he drops his mouth to her heat. The feel of his tongue against her is a shock, and she feels almost feral at the feel of his mouth there. Her good hand winds into his hair and she tugs at him, bringing him closer. He moans as she grinds up against him, legs slung over his shoulders as he makes such quick, precise work of her. She comes loudly, her back arching and her head spinning in the delight of it on her nerves.

He pulls back when her legs stop shaking and his hair is a mess, as is his face. He licks at the slick on his lips and grins at her before rising, much to her embarrassment she can see a wet patch on his thigh from where she had ridden it. She has to bite her lip when she sees the evidence of just how much he enjoyed her pressing against the front of his buckskins. Something inside her seems to break loose at the sight of it, and before she knows it she's standing to pull at the ties of her stays so she can divest herself of her coverings. Benedict, ever the gentleman helps her.

She's not entirely sure what makes her do it, but the second she is naked she drops to her knees and lays chest down, arse up in the air. Instinct drives her into this position and she can hear her Alpha let out a curse as she does so.

She feels so incredibly empty.

"Oh Pen, what a delightful present this is" he says, and she can hear the rustle and soft thud of his own clothes falling to the floor. "Do you know what you're giving me right now kitten?" he asks.

"No" she says honestly, cheek pressed to the ground.

"You're presenting for me sweet girl, it means your heat is close" she shudders a little at that, mind briefly straying to her last heat but he doesn't let her dwell on it before his hand finds her heat. He presses his fingers into her and hums a little. "This pretty pink hole of yours looks a little used kitten, did one of your alpha's fuck you today?" he questions and her thoughts flash to the way Colin had thoroughly tupped her in her nest this morning. "Anthony?" Benedict questions "I know I left him in your nest this morning-" she shakes her head "No? Hmm, must have been your Colin then. Did he treat you well little Omega?" he presses his thumb to her clit then. "Did he play with this little button here until you were writhing on his alpha cock, hmm?"

He rubs his thumb over her swollen nub and she rocks herself onto his hand, desperately chasing after the feeling of fullness she craved. He watches her for a moment, she can feel his eyes on her. And before he can protest he pulls his fingers from her centre. She can hear the sound of him lewdly sucking the taste of her off his fingers before he replaces them with the blunt head of his cock. He's big in this position, all of them are big- he's not as long as Colin but he is thicker then him. He presses slowly into her but she's impatient with him and she pushes back onto him until he is all the way inside her. She hisses at the stretch, her insides clenching at the pain of the sudden stretch but a purr rumbles from him and everything inside her loosens for him. Her slick drips down her legs as he stills, his hands squeeze at her soft behind and before she can even think he lands a swat on it.

"That, kitten, was very naughty of you" he says "I was going to push into you slowly so your body could get used to the stretch but you decided you were more ready than you were and it hurt, didn't it?" she nods a little miserably and he croons out a sympathetic noise before pulling out from her.

"You only lost your maidenhead last night little Pen, don't rush things too much sweetheart" he murmurs, he inspects her for a moment, seemingly looking for something and she almost sobs in frustration, that pitiful, needing part of her demanding him to be inside her again.

"Hmm, you're all good sweetling, all nice and ready for me again" he says consolingly "just had to make sure you didn't hurt yourself too bad- Are you ready for me Penny?" he asks her.

"Yes, Benedict, please!" she pleads, fingers scrunching into the fabric of her chemise and skirts that lay under them, cushioning her on the floor. He presses into her again, this time slower and more measured. She lets out a long moan at the feeling, being filled like this made her feel so full and complete. He starts off slowly, thrusting in and out of her almost lazily, his hands roam over the expanse of her back, the dip of her waist and the plush of her arse. She remembers the brief sting of the swat he had landed on her and wiggles her hips at him enticingly. The short, sharp burst of pain from it had bordered on almost pleasurable as the sting melted away from her, leaving only the heat of it behind.

He chuckles a little, palming her arse and says under his breath "Oh Anthony will love this" before landing another swat on her. She groans, pressing back onto him.

"Good little kitten," he says as he picks up the force behind his thrusts "god, look at the way you take me- You're fucking perfect for us little Penny."

She preens at the praise, and meets his thrusts as she rocks back onto him. His fingers find her clit and he strums at it as he takes her hard on the floor of his studio.

"I'm going to have to get one of my brothers in here to fuck you while I draw you kitten" he says through a gasp "you're a work of art- Just as you are but like this, oh, but like this little Omega you're a fucking masterpiece." Her mind seems to blank at that and her toes curl at the pleasure of it. He chuckles that self-satisfied chuckle of his as he lays himself over her back so he can find that place on her neck that he liked to bite and lick at. "You like that, don't you precious?" she's not sure what he's talking about, but moans in response "you're a little slut for praise Penelope, it makes you drip slick down your legs, and it makes your perfume fill a room and kitten, it is fucking delicious the way you respond to it."

His mouth latches onto her scent gland and she shatters in his arms, she's sure she screams she's so blanketed by the pleasure that rolls over her. Something at the base of his cock thickens and he curses a little, it doesn't get overly huge but the extra pressure of it prolongs her orgasm until her limbs are shaking from the force of it.

"Kitten" he hisses out as she squeezes around him "you're going to put the three of us in rut before we manage to put you in heat at this pint."

Her muscles seem to work him as he fucks in and out of her and the knot she's been so interested in seems to thicken with every ripple.

"God, I'm going to soft knot you kitten, you've gotten me so worked up with this pretty cunt of yours" he says, his hips stuttering until the entirety of his length is pushed into her and the knot at the base is locked into her. A softer orgasm rolls through her at the press of him into the walls of her insides, his knot rubs against a spot that numbs her mind with pleasure. She's sure by now that her slick is a puddle beneath them. He presses into her hard, rocking his hips just so and his knot shifts back and forth over that pleasurable spot inside her. She moans helplessly as he wrings another orgasm out of her, her palm slaps agains the floor and she can feel when her muscles milk the orgasm from him in turn. The pulse of his spend deep inside her soothes the instincts that had been pushing her, and she sighs in relief as he fills her completely and utterly.

His chest heaves against her back and kisses where ever his mouth reaches before he cradles her boneless form to his chest so he can pull her up into her lap. She spasms when the new position jolts another orgasm out of her- was it even possible to fall apart so many times like this? She must have said this out loud because the amused laugh he huffs out vibrates through her.

"Oh, sweet little kitten, damned near every woman has the capacity for multiple orgasms, beta and omega alike, but omega- Male and Female when an Alpha's knot is locked into them, damned near every orgasm that pulses through them has the- Oh fuck" he gasps suddenly as her muscles clamp around him "fuck, kitten, ahh, shit, they have the function of wringing every, last drop of come from their Alpha for the purpose of filling them with child."

She can feel it too, what he's talking about- Every flutter of her inner muscles seems to manage to bring another spurt of his spend inside her and the Omega inside her preens at the thought of it all.

It feels like they're locked together forever, but Benedict assures her it's only about fifteen minutes all up. Apparently during her heat, it can take up to an hour for the Alpha's knot to loosen enough so that they can become unlocked. Like what seems ritual now through Colin's ministrations, Benedict scoops the mixture of his spend and her slick onto his fingers and feeds it to her. She's lucky the taste of them is so pleasant- His honey and pine tasted quite good with her strawberry and lilac. Part of her couldn't wait to taste the burst of blackberries of the Viscount on her tongue.

Benedict cleans them both up, and looks down at the mess they'd made of her chemise a little despairingly before eyeing his own shirt with contemplation before scooping it up and shaking it out. It was perfectly clean, just a little creased from where it had been bundled up on the floor and he promptly pulls it over her head and helps it onto her. It falls to her mid-thigh, and he looks on her a little smugly.

"You look good in my clothes" he murmurs as he pushes a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Let's get you to dinner, how about we shock poor Anthony with the freshly fucked state of you."

The Viscount, in fact, was shocked at the state of her. Her hair was a wild mess of her curls and part of her preened at the look of dark longing in his gaze as he gritted his teeth. It was his turn to have her seated in his lap for their meal, and when she perched on his lap he had immediately buried his nose into her neck, scenting her.

"You're starting to smell like them" he says, his voice a rumble against her back.

"And I would smell like you too if you would tend to me in the same fashion they have" she says rather primly and he stiffens a little, a growl against her throat as he latches onto her gland, sucking at the flesh so he could swallow down the taste of her. His scent had risen at her challenge and Benedict who sat across from them winked at her. Colin had to smother a laugh as he fed her a bite of the roast they had for dinner. She was sure it was beef, the gravy that coated it was lovely.

"I've been busy" the Viscount says, a little petulantly in her opinion, and she would fight him on it but the way he was administering attention upon her neck, had her melting into him.

"Mmm, I have no doubt" she says, and it comes out a sight more breathy then she intended "but I'm sure from what Benedict told me, Viscount" she emphasis his title, and he growls at her again "oh- I'm sure that you have a duty to d-" he bites her scent glad, rolling the skin between his teeth "do what your brothers have done and f-feed me with your come and fill me up with your alpha cock."

"You," he says, punctuating it by pressing the length of the cock she had just been talking about against her mostly bare arse, Benedict's shirt having risen up as she squirmed in the Viscounts lap "call me Anthony." He rolls his hips into her and she's sure she's leaking all over him. Making a mess of a second Bridgerton's britches. "Has Benedict been teaching you all these filthy things?" he questions in a hiss "do you want to be on your knees with my cock in your mouth for dinner instead of the roast the cook prepared for us? Would you let me fuck that pretty little rosebud of a mouth of yours?" She shudders in his arms, pliant for him.

"Oh, what's the matter Omega?" he croons "Would you prefer me to ruin this used little cunt of yours?" he questions, pressing fingers into her and she draws her knees up in pleasure, and she's exposed to Colin who eats up the sight of her hungrily, splayed before him as the Viscount fucks her with his fingers. "You know that Colin is long and Benedict is thick, but Omega, did you know that I am both?" She moans, and she is starting to feel a little fucked out by these men, but she craves them just as much as they crave her. "Do you think you could even take me yet? Colin told me you only lost your maidenhead to him last night little one, don't get too ambitious before this lovely body of yours can take it."

He withdraws his fingers much to her displeasure and sucks her slick off them. He groans at the taste and when he is down he leans back in his seat, eyes half lidded.

"It's your choice Omega- Where do you want me? In that sweet mouth of yours or in your pussy?" She dithers only momentarily, and when Colin becomes aware of her choice he chooses to make the action more comfortable for her and lays the cushion that had been behind his back for her to kneel on. She's grateful after the bruising her knees had taken on the floor of Benedict's studio earlier. She slides from the Viscount's lap and settles herself between his spread knees. He nods in acceptance of her choice and he, helpfully, undoes the closure of his buckskins and lets her pull him free from their confines. He wasn't exaggerating at his girth of length, he is big, and she's a little glad she chose her mouth first after the battering she had taken from Benedict and Colin she's not sure she's ready for the stretch of him.

The Viscount tangles his hand into her hair as she uses her good hand to guide the length of him to her mouth. She lays little kitten kisses and licks down his length before licking a stripe back up to the head of him, which she suckles into her mouth. He hisses at the heat of her mouth, hips pressing up slowly so that she takes more of him into her mouth. Being an Omega comes with many bodily perks, each and every one of them made for the pleasure of her and her Alpha's. The one she was not quite sure about is tested now as he fucks her mouth shallowly at first before she swallows more of him down, letting her instincts ride her on how to do it she swallows around him. She remembers overhearing a pack of Alpha talking about this once, and she wasn't sure if it had merely been myth or real but she knows now that it certainly wasn't myth as he takes her further and further until her nose is pressed to his abdomen. There's a slight sting, and her eyes water but the urge to gag on him isn't there. She had been too dizzy with the feel of Colin's mouth on her and the taste of Benedict the first time to notice it, but now that she knew it would be no issue taking them in her mouth as well she was having thoughts of how they could all take her at once. Her cheeks redden as the Viscount leaks pre-come. The flavour of it is just as tart and lovely as his scent.

She moans as he shifts her mouth up and down his length by his grip in her hair, there's a puddle of her slick beneath her. The Viscount says something to Colin over her head and she can hear the clack of cutlery as he eats his roast. Her head feels like its swimming as he uses her to chase his pleasure.

"Good Omega" a voice says, and it takes a moment to realise that Colin is behind her now, "you're doing so well pleasing your Alpha" he murmurs, hands soothing over her body before his fingers find her clit and he massages it "now let me take care of you too."

The Combination of the taste of Anthony and the feel of him in her mouth paired with the way Colin expertly rolls her clit between his fingers has her coming apart, and her orgasm triggers Anthony into his own. He curses as he presses her face to his abdomen again, lost in her pleasure just as she is.

When he withdraws from her mouth, all she can taste is him and its like her world has narrowed down to all three of her Alpha's as they each help her to standing and, once Anthony has done himself back up, deposits her in his lap. He soothes a hand through her hair and croons praise at her as Colin feeds her dinner and sips of refreshing water.

"Do you think..?" comes Benedict's voice, and Anthony shifts a little under her to look at his brother.

"I don't think she's in heat yet" came his voice "I think she's been riding a pheromone high all day and its starting to drop- I think some more fresh air tomorrow will do her the world of good, so she isn't as cooped up with our heightened scents as she has been, that plus all the other things going on I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner."

"Picnic for lunch tomorrow?" Colin asked, thumbing some crumbs from her mouth, which she promptly sucked into her mouth. He pulls it free with a pop and rubbed at her bottom lip with it. "Maybe if she's up for it a horse ride- I'm not sure how big on it she is but I'm sure she can share a saddle with one of us if she doesn't feel very confident about it- I've only seen her ride once or twice since we were first acquainted and she wasn't bad at it."

"No, she's not bad at it, but she's tiny and always had trouble mounting the horse because no-one helped her." Benedict said "I only know because I offered to help her once, the horse they had her on was far too big for her, and the saddle was badly fitted to the horse anyway so I spent the afternoon teaching her how to check it herself." She remembers that, he had been so helpful to her, if a little impatient. She wonders now if that impatience maybe wasn't even aimed toward her lack of knowledge like she had thought at the time.

She's starting to come out of the pheromone fog she had descended into, and was now starting to crave sugar of all things.

"What's for dessert?" she asks during a lull in conversation and it sets them off into a round of laughter. She's not laughing, she's hungry.

"Lemon cheesecake" Anthony tells her, and, she's glad he told her it was fine to call him Anthony, because she no longer has that weird panicky urge to refer to him by title anymore.

A scullery maid brings them the cheesecake, she figures its so she doesn't offend the sensibilities of the staff again with her nakedness. The maid clearly knows the ins and outs of Omega and Alpha mating because she doesn't make eye contact with anybody and slips in and out with the food. Benedict, amused by the whole thing cuts them each a piece of it and Colin sets about feeding the creamy, lemony dessert to her.

She delights at the taste of it, and once she is finished she leans back into Anthony who gathers her into his arms, he stands once he has her in a bridal carry and he carries her to her nest, his brothers trailing behind them.

He must have decided she'd had quite enough for the day because stripped down and fell into the bed next to her, and Colin and Benedict seemed to get the idea and cuddled up in her bed with them. Colin grumbles a little as Benedict takes his spot next to her but she's too sleepy to tell him that he has to learn to share. After they settle Benedict, ever the shit decided to break the silence.

"If I wake up to morning wood pressed against me Col, I will chop it off myself" he says pleasantly and Colin huffs at him, back turned to his brother already.

"It would be a cold day in hell before even asleep me mistakes your flat arse for Penelope's plump one Ben" Colin says back tiredly, reaching back to thump his brother on the shoulder.

"Shut up the both of you" Penelope says, "before I smack the both of you until you can't sit properly for a week."

Anthony shakes with laughter at that, hand rising up to rub at his eyes and hide the smile on his face.

"You know," she says after a moment "I don't think I ever got the name of the modiste, I was so overwhelmed I was a bad hostess and forgot to ask for it."

"Her name is Madame Beaupré, but she will insist you call he Elodie" Anthony says, and she slings a leg over his thigh which he rubs his hand up and down. Benedict curls up behind her and spoons her from behind. Colin manages to pull a sheet over them all, it's too warm for heavy quilts but a sheet chases off the slight chill to the air.

She falls to sleep with the scent of them all in her nose.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Benedict, rather thought himself a bit of a loveable rogue sort, full of quips and cracks that got even the most stoic in a belly laugh on his good days. So, when the little Omega fell into his brother's laps- Quite literally- He found himself for the first time ever, rather without anything to say. At all of three and ten he had well established himself as the class jester at Eton. He had always been a restless child, his mind would jump between hither and yon and while he was quite adept at soaking information up like a sponge and spewing it at anybody who would listen he simply could not stay still. It had gotten to such a point that one of their school masters quite fed up with the mouth on him caned him across the knuckles 'til they had gone purple and blue at the treatment. Anthony had helped him nurse his wounds after, pressing ice covered in a cloth to them to chase away the throbbing and pain.

His brother had laid a hand upon his shoulder, and in his most stern 'Oldest brother' voice had told him, quite seriously "You need to find something to still yourself Benedict, this" he had picked up his hurt hand then "is not done- I know it hurts Ben, but if you do not find something to still you it will only get worse."

He had been right of course, for a boy of five and ten, Anthony had been a rather observant person, he wasn't sure where it had gone in the years since but his brother had been rather perspicacious.

And so, after many cracks across his knuckles and failed attempts he had found that stillness, and that stillness had come in the form of art. His mother had been delighted when he had taken it up as a hobby, because it become quite obvious that he had a propensity for it- Even his sire had been encouraging of him. Edmund, despite the suggestion from other alphas of the ton, had bought him his first set of paints and even gotten in contact with a friend who was a painter and had hired him to teach Benedict during the holidays.

He had thrived, that is until Mister Langly, his art tutor, had up and died on him, and then within months his own sire had been felled by a bee sting of all things. Edmund had been a tall, strong, healthy man. He had been one of the best of them really.

Benedict had gone off the rails a little after- To the point where they had considered expulsion from Eton. Anthony had stepped in with a sum of money and told him to buck up and deal- He only had a this year left until he was to be free from scholarly torture after all. Painting had become hard, too painful to do and he had felt the most alone he had ever felt.

That was until he had seen his little brother cornered by a group of little shits looking to pick a fight with him because he had been softer then most Alpha's were encouraged to be. Kind, soft-spoken Colin hadn't stood a chance really. It was eat or be eaten in Eton, and Colin had well been on his way to being eaten until he stepped in. He had, much like the same position Anthony had been in with him a few years earlier- Pressed a cloth with ice in it to his little brother's face and told him "Col, you need to find your strength, you can be the most well spoken gentleman to have ever passed through these halls, but you need to find something they will respect or this-" he had touched the bruises coming up on Colin's cheek "is only going to get worse."

It had been the changing point he had needed, he had no Anthony to fix things for him after that, his brother had been too encumbered by the responsibilities of his title and of being the new family head. Gareth and James weren't titled, so had only really been able to give Ant sage advice when he needed it, rather then take on the responsibilities themselves. And Benedict? Well, he was the big brother now.

It was funny, because quite obviously he had been a big brother since Colin had been born, but there was a marked difference between being a big brother then and being a big brother post the death of their sire and patriarch.

There was a difference in responsibilities, and while he didn't often show it- He did take those responsibilities seriously, so he had managed to find his still in painting again and while he hadn't thrived quite in the same way he had found his happy medium. One where he could be the one who bummed a cheroot off Eloise and listened to her troubles, one where he could ever so subtly guide his impetuous sister through her brief dalliance with the printer boy- Which he wouldn't anytime soon be telling her he knew about. He could tie Gregory's shoe laces, slip Hyacinth sweets and encourage Franny in her musical pursuits. He cared for his gaggle of siblings deeply, and when Eloise had befriended Penelope after she had felled Colin from his horse with her bonnet, he had simply taken her under his wing too. After all, what was another sibling, he had them running out his ears- What was one more?

She had been this shy little beta, all round and adorable and was remarkably polite. Which was odd, given she had been one of Portia's little birds- Who, much like all birds, were loud and a erred on the side of obnoxious. It had been almost too easy to overlook her in amongst her older sisters. They were so loud in comparison.

But he saw her, hiding in corners while others around her were taken to the dance floor- He saw her watching with the same amount of whimsy and longing that he knew while she put on a strong feminine face with Eloise who was all "I don't need an alpha, nobody needs an alpha Penelope, you can be my beta life companion, some omega's have those you know." She did want something more then that. It hadn't been hard to truly see the girl away from her family, to notice the way she was treated. So, he did what any older brother sort would do and helped where he could, where ever was appropriate. He helped her side-mount a horse when her family had left her in their dust, would leave books for her when she visited El, and if she thought El had been the one to leave it out for her to find, so be it. She needed a friend, and while he loved his sister dearly, she was rather short-sighted about her friend's plight. The unrequited feelings she had for Colin, the neglectful and often times down right abusive way her family treated her- And how the ton, at large, treated her like a social pariah because she had the misfortune of seemingly being born a beta to a family of omegas and alphas.

Joke was on them, really, because she was the sweetest smelling omega he had met.

He, like Anthony had known of her infatuation with Colin, it was hard not to notice it once you did. He, in his early morning snooping through his brother's saddle bags had even found letters from her during his travels. He had, being the big brother he was, looked of course, and he could see it in the way she had written to him. Endlessly indulgent of his brother's rambling nature, always quick with information and pertinent questions about where he was. She knew all the right things to say that would be encouraging, biting when needed and, most of all, she knew when he had needed kind words and when he had needed her rather frank observations.

He thought it rather telling that Colin had saved every last correspondence she had sent him, but he's sure his little brother hadn't, at the time understood the significance of it. Why would he? She was a beta, and he was an alpha, they simply weren't compatible for anything beyond friendship.

And then she had perfumed.

She had been all perfectly ripe strawberries and pretty, floral lilacs with that extra little something with the rosemary in her scent. Everyone had a Head, Heart and Base note to their scent- It wasn't often you could clearly detect all of them, but Penelope's had been clear as day to them.

He had salivated, trying to pull from Gareth and James' arms when she had gone into full heat under the mouths of his pack. All he could think of was how badly he needed to taste her, if he had been let go he would have crawled between her legs and devoured her.

After she had been whisked from the presentation, he had felt… Empty, bereft and lost.

It had become clear to him later that he had been under a pheromone high, because they had found their mate. It didn't often work out that way for the Alpha and Omega of the population- Often times Omega's were sold to packs for land or monetary value, sometimes merely as part of a business deal if they were unfortunate enough. If they were courted and engaged the right way it was usually because the pack or alpha had been encouraged to find someone to procreate with. Romance for the most part, may as well be dead amongst their kind, even Anthony had been prepared for their pack to take on an Omega who they weren't scent matched if they could not find anybody who was this season.

Scent matched was one thing, you could scent match with several different Omegas, but when that scent match took over and lambasted you with the Omega's pheromones? That was the makings of a true mate.

His parents had been lucky in that regard.

Most people just settled.

He had been grateful; happy even, that he wouldn't have to settle, that Penelope had fallen into them in a neat little package. Got along with their family? Check, Knew them? Check, Intelligent? Check, Beautiful? … Check.

It was a lark, really, how remarkably overlooked Penelope had been. She had always been beautiful, she hadn't just suddenly somehow morphed into beauty with the onset of her omega pheromones. It was in the fiery shade of her hair, those bright azure blue eyes that had always been far too clever and that pretty little rosebud of a mouth, all petal soft and biteable.

The fact that men were so derailed by the cheapest parts of beauty meant she was overlooked, not because she was lacking. He couldn't say he hadn't had his head turned by past diamond's, all pretty and flitty little things with grace and poise. Elliot Nightguard had been a particularly head turning sort, but once the veneer of beauty had been seen past, he had been a viper. He had a particular streak of cruelty that Cressida Cowper was trying to emulate now that he had mellowed out following his mating with the Johnson pack. It hadn't occurred to him until later that little Elliot Nightguard had been cruel because he had been having dalliances with other omegas and was scared he would be caught. The Johnson pack had already had a pack Omega, and while it wasn't unheard of it was a little extraordinary when, not even eight months post mating the pack's first omega had popped out a baby with hair remarkably like Elliot's. Other alphas had noticed of course, the ones who had been particularly duped by his beauty had sworn up and down that they had known, that of course they had known he had a propensity for omegas, and that had merely been after him because it meant they could hoard more then one of the beauties all to themselves.

It had been a load of poppycock of course.

He doesn't think they particularly understood that they would have to share their omega with Elliot.

Benedict still thought of Elliot every now and then, he couldn't particularly help it, because Elliot made Benedict feel.. Perhaps a little less alone? Like they clocked each other from across the room and somehow just knew.

The fact that Penelope was Benedict's first Omega was a very little known fact. So was the way he had been with other alphas. Often.

He liked to dabble in all designations really, betas were the easiest to take a tumble with, there was no expectation beyond what he could offer- One night of particularly good fucking and nothing beyond that. Alphas were a little more complicated, you had to be secretive about it all. But there was something being about dominated by somebody your equal in strength- And there was something in dominating and making pliant an alpha that was not cowed easily.

And then there were Omegas.

They had always been this unattainable glue that holds packs together, they could make or break a pack and he had wanted that for their pack so badly. He hadn't been looking forward to courting an Omega, the thought of it had brought up a well of dread in him. The social expectations of it, the pageantry of it all.

It was Anthony's area of expertise, not his.

You couldn't just tup an Omega, there were rules and expectations surrounding that. Sure, there were brothels that had omegas but largely they were too young and the madam's running them exploitative of their heat cycles. No reputable Alpha or Beta would visit such establishments and, truthfully anything Benedict had heard about them left an ill taste in his mouth and a sick twist in his stomach. His mother supports a rehabilitation service for Omegas who manage to get out of it, but the pheromone injections to induce heat in them wreaked havoc on their systems and the mental scarring was immense. Most had to have their reproductive organs and scent glands removed in an act of mercy, it was a kindness and those that had the surgery would go on to live perfectly normal beta lives. Most become maids and laundresses.

So, no, until Penelope he had never been with an Omega.

It was almost strange how naturally everything came with her, and he thinks it mostly has to do with them being true mates. He hadn't imagined just how fulfilling it would be to go through the process of readying her for their bonding bites. He looks at her now, she's stretched out over the blanket they laid out for their picnic, head in Colin's lap as she snaps at his fingers when he feeds her strawberries. She's probably not helping the predicament poking her in the back of her head by licking the juice from his fingers.

Little minx.

She hums in pleasure, eyes closed as she tilts her head back, exposing the column of her throat to their hungry eyes.

The pulse of her glands make his teeth ache with the need to bite. Which is a thought that becomes more common the closer they get to her heat.

He can tell she's getting close to it, there's a bloom to her scent. It clings to her, and everything she touches and brushes against smells of her. He almost felt like rutting against the couch she had been laid out upon the day before this morning when he went about laying out colours for the portrait of her he's doing. It had only been the clatter of his paintbrush dropping that stopped him from doing so.

Benedict leans down and runs his nose along her pretty neck, and her breath hitches when he licks a stripe across her scent gland. She tastes so fucking good.

Colin, ever the good sport holds her by the hair in the position she was in, head tilted back to expose her neck.

The little mewl of sound that escapes her when he nibbles on the thin skin encasing the gland sends a surge of possessive want through him.

He sits up again, hand finding her neck, wrapping around it gently so he can massage both glands at once. He presses down just enough to roll them under his thumb and fingertips. Her hips buck up at the feel of it and he can't hide the smirk that curls at the corner of his mouth.

Gods she was pretty like this, all pliant under his hands and ready for one of their cocks to fill her.

He looks at Colin, and his brother meets his eye with his own and they glean the same understanding of each other.

They were going to thoroughly fuck her into the ground.

He eases the pressure and eyes the grounds around them idly. Maybe a bit of a chase? Something to trigger their baser desires, but no, not this time.

Hmm.

He holds a hand out to her and she takes it in her own, and he helps her sit up. She looks a little disheveled, her hair a mess and her cheeks flushed with desire. Colin crowds up behind her hands working over her body like they'd already mapped out all the places that make their little Omega moan. He probably had, he'd spent the most time with her alone since their pack married her.

"Benedict" she pleads to him, holding her hand out to him, her voice all breathy and the tone needy.

"Sweet Pen," he says, almost singsong as his eyes trail over her. Colin's lips find her gland and the suction he has on it punches a groan from those biteable lips of hers. "What is you need Kitten? Hmm?" He soothes her hair and clicks his tongue sympathetically "do you need an Alpha cock in your sweet little mouth? Do you want one of us to push up those skirts of yours and make a mess of your sweet little cunt?"

He thumbs at her bottom lip and she gently bites the tip of his thumb, grinning around it.

"I need both" she says before drawing his thumb into her mouth, tongue touching the tip before swirling around it. He groans and presses down on her tongue.

"Demanding little thing you are, kitten" he says "what do you think Colin, should we reward her?" he asks, eyes trained on her. She rises up onto her knees, and the light hits her hair and it flares like a flame in the sun. She's like a little wood nymph, hair the colour of autumn leaves and eyes bright and full of a defiant little spark. Oh, but if he could immortalise this moment, he can try and recreate it with paint but nothing would do justice to the picture she paints. She's in such juxtaposition to Colin, he's all hard lines and sharp jaw behind her, skin tanned and dark hair hanging over his forehead- And she.

She's soft and made of all the loveliest curves, pale, freckled and ocean eyed.

She raises her hands to fiddle with the sides of her gown for a moment and he watches in fascination as she unpins something and lets the front of her dress fall to her waist. Her breasts are encased in a strip of fabric securing them together and she deftly undoes it and they bounce enticingly out of their confines.

Fuck, this was officially his favourite thing she's ever worn.

Colin is just as appreciative as he cups her in his hands, he's whispering something that's probably decidedly naughty in her ear with the way her face is flushing red.

He does enjoy that no matter how much they debauch their little wife, there's always something that will leave her blushing like a sweet little innocent. He hopes it continues through out their lives together.

Benedict cups her red cheeks in his hands so he can tilt her head back and kiss her until she's a panting mess in their hands. Her nipples, that had been brought to taught peaks under Colin's manipulations grazed his shirt and she lets out the sweetest noise. It triggers a purr to roll from his chest and its like she melts back into his brother, who is happy to get a lap full of her.

"Please," she says, in a sigh of breath "god please, I need- I" her words are cut off by a chocked moan when Benedict lowers himself enough to capture one of this pretty pink nipples in his mouth.

"What is it you need Pen?" Colin questions, his voice has taken on a husk in his need for their Omega, and Benedict decides to be a caring big brother and let him make a mess of her first.

"I need you" she says after a moment, burying those little hands of hers in their hair, one in his pressing him closer and one in Colin's so she can angle herself for a kiss.

Benedict grins around her nipple, a thought forming.

He pulls back and blows onto the wet peak, delighting in the shiver that goes through Penelope at the sensation. He sits back and her hand falls from his hair to his shoulder, keeping in contact with him as he looked over her and his brother, calculating as he watches them.

"Colin, I think our little omega should ride you" Benedict says with an air of command in his tone and his brother grins, no doubt just as intrigued as he was to watch the bounce of her breasts as she rode him. Colin slips out from behind her, and taking his shirt off, and tossing it to the side. Penelope watches his brother hungrily as he undoes his breeches and Benedict can't help the little huff of amusement at her, she must have dreamed of moments like this with Colin, and all in all Benedict felt rather like the fairy godfather to his little Omega, granting her desires.

Colin lays himself out over the blanket, leaning back on his elbows and Penelope dithers a little awkward and unsure of herself, so Benedict smiles and holds his hand out to her, she takes them and he helps her to standing so he can divest her of the rest of her dress. Much like he suspected, she's only wearing stockings and her walking shoes beneath it, the cheeky little thing went without her underthings for their day out. It had been ticking over in his mind since she had unpinned the smock front of her dress and her breasts were so easily accessible. She came out here with a plan.

He fingers the ribbon holding her stockings up, rubbing a thumb over that little spill of flesh above them.

"I'm not sure what to do" she says in a moment of honesty and he smiles at her, reaches for her hands and grasping them he crowds up behind her until she has no choice but to step over Colin, feet poised on either side of him.

"Quite simple, really Kitten, all you have to do is sit astride him, let him put his cock inside you and bounce on him until he comes to completion" Benedict says, holding her hands to balance her as she sinks down into Colin's lap, he goes down with her, kneeling beside them to make sure she's alright.

She lets out a gasp, and he grins knowing full well that Colin must have slid into that perfect pussy of hers. Her hands fall from his grip and he strays beside them for a moment, watching his brother grip her hips and helps her find her rhythm as she rests her hands against his chest. Happy to see that she has found her rhythm, he finds a spot to lean against the oak, finds his sketchbook, and goes to work.

She doesn't notice at first, her eyes closed as she fucks herself on Colin- But when she does, she narrows her eyes at him, and with her attention divided Colin lands a swat on her arse.

"Uh uh Omega, when you're on my cock like this, you pay attention to me" Colin growls out, as he plants his feet and fucks up into her. Penelope looks down at him, gasping at the pace his brother sets. Benedict just goes back to sketching her, noting the pink of the flush on her chest, the wild of her hair spilling down her back and over her tits as she finds the right position that has her clit grinding down into Colin's pelvis every time she bares down on him. It's quite glorious really, the sun in her hair, the dapple of light across her skin as the sun peeks through the canopy of green over their heads. He was suddenly glad that he had the wherewithal to task the gardeners to the hyacinth patch on the other side of the grounds. He knows the sight of her like this is going to haunt him, like the most seductive little ghost of a memory.

She seems to lose her momentum and it becomes obvious why when he notices Colin, much like himself the day before has popped a soft knot. His brother lets himself lock inside Penelope's heat and their omega falls apart around him as she rocks back and forth, bringing herself to a sweet little death, until she's a mess of come and slick.

Colin's head is thrown back, face blissed out as he lets their omega use him for her pleasure until she's wrung every last drop from him.

What a show indeed.

He almost feels like clapping, but he doesn't, instead, he watches with great interest when, after Colin loosens within her, she crawls all cat like toward him, in his position against the oak tree. His brother watches her go a little mournfully.

Except, he's sure there's come and slick trailing down her thighs, and what a sight that would be, and if he wasn't so focused on Penelope he would have noted the moment Colin notices the mess.

Benedict can feel the heat of her as she crawls over his outstretched legs and plucks the sketchbook from his hands and sets it aside.

She fiddles with the fastenings on his pants, and Benedict lets her, curious as to what she had planned.. His breath hisses through his teeth when her hand closes around his length and brings him out of his pants. He's leaking pre-come and she nuzzles her face along the length of him, breathing in his honey and pine scent before taking him in her wet, hot mouth. He pushes hair from her face, fingers twining through her hair as he groans. Her mouth is suctioning around his cock and the feel of it is unbelievable. She's a little clumsy in the way she tries to time the movement of her first with her mouth but when she finds the best rhythm he can't help the curse that spills from his lips.

"Are you going to let me fuck this pretty mouth of yours Omega?" he asks, gripping her hair in his hands and she moans around him, before swallowing him down to the root. Her throat tightens around him, the low vibration from another moan has him startled as his hips buck into the feeling.

"God, someone has been teaching you tricks little Omega" he rocks in and out of her mouth, and she looks up at him with those gorgeous eyes of hers shining with a sheen of tears. The good kind, the kind that tells him she's just as pleasured by him as he is by her. She gasps and her eyes roll skyward for a moment when Colin comes up behind her and eats her pussy clean.

She pulls away from him and leans her head against his thigh as Colin pulls an orgasm out of her, overwhelmed by the sensation of his lips sucking on her clit, tonguing at it ad he fucks his fingers into her.

She rolls her hips back onto Colin's face and when Colin finally pulls back, he has that little smile he thinks is secret, happy to have gotten her to come on his mouth. He's starting to get the impression that eating the strawberry, lilac and rosemary of her cunt is Colin's favourite pastime.

Not that he can blame him, it's rather like a delicious cocktail of flavour.

"Present for me Omega" Benedict says, and she turns around and falls into the position easily, face down, arse up.

Colin is nice enough to give her a cushion to lean on, they'd brought some out for comfort and he was rather glad for it now.

He pulls himself to a kneeling position behind her, running the head of his cock between her folds a few times before pushing into the hot, wet core of her. It's like coming home, like his cock was made to be inside her- And maybe it was? They are true mates after all.

He sets a steady pace, fucking into her and she's pushing back onto him, as greedy for his length as he was for her heat.

"That's it," he murmurs "that's it kitten, you take our cocks so well" he kneads her arse cheeks in his hands, the plump flesh a marvel to behold. In a moment of want, he parts them and massages at the pink furl of muscle between them. She lets out this shocked choked off sound and he knows he's found something very interesting. He gathers some of the slick dripping from her and uses it as a lubricant to tease the hole open for exploration, she's a gasping, panting mess beneath him as he fucks his thumb into her peach of an arse.

"Oh sweetling, you like that, don't you?" he questions in a croon "we'll have to work you up to it kitten, but one day one if us is going to bury our cock here while another is in this sweet little cunt of yours and the other uses that hot mouth." And gods, the way she clenches around him and the resounding moan it punches out of her? She likes the idea, she likes the idea a lot.

He's fucking both of her holes now, and, much to his delight Colin has her by the hair, lifting her face so he can use her mouth.

Good, it will give her a taste of what is to come later.

Colin, leaning forward while he fucks her mouth, finds her clit and pinches and rolls it between his fingers and she goes off like an explosion between them.

He's popped a soft knot, but he doesn't let it lock inside her, instead he massages it while he comes into her, hips pumping into hers as he does so. Colin is panting and pulling away so he can soothe her and kiss her until she's back with them.

She's all cock drunk and strung out from all of the orgasms she had, and when they clean her up and roll her onto her side so she can recover they lay on either side of her, touching and purring at her until she falls into a nap.

"So much for giving her a break from pheromones" Colin murmurs, and Benedict can't help the laugh that escapes him. That had been the reason why they were outside, hadn't it? Anthony was going to murder them.

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Penelope ached in all the best ways, she was finding this odd delight at being able to feel the ache of them still within her well after the act. Like a titillating little secret that only she and they know. She's walking through the house, familiarising herself with every little nook and cranny of it- She finds the secret little alcove that she had hidden in once, a very long time ago. It had been her first time there, her family had been invited to a luncheon and a sort of, gathering of the children to introduce them to peers their age. Violet had taken great delight in organising games for all of the children.

She had only been four and ten years old, but old enough to know just how… Different from the other children she was.

She was quiet and round, small for her age and face far too unfashionably freckled. Cressida Cowper had taken one look at her and let out one of those lilting laughs, so full of spite.

"Oh look," she had said, upon seeing Penelope, who was dressed in a yellow so bright it hurt the eyes to look at for too long "is that a girl or is that a pig in a dress?"

At the time, the comment had been devastating. She had taken a few steps back, and much to her horror her sister Prudence had let out a guffaw of a laugh at the statement, and really, that was all it took to send her running from the group until she couldn't run anymore.

She had gone to lean on a tapestry hung on the wall she had found herself in front of only to fall back into a little room. It was there she had curled up into a tight little ball, sobbing into her knees.

She wasn't sure how long she had been there before footsteps had sounded down the corridor she had run to, and she had tried very hard to stop the sobs from coming out of her not really wanting to be found. But she had been found.

The eldest bridgerton brother had found her, he had pulled back the tapestry and upon seeing her kneeled down in front of her before offering her a handkerchief. She had taken it gratefully and hid her face in it.

"What has you out of sorts then?" he had asked, and, embarrassed, she had merely let out a squeak.

"Alright then, keep your secrets" he had said before settling himself down beside her. It had been an awkward moment of silence before he spoke up again.

"Did you know, when I was your age, I had the most unfortunate ears?" he asked, all casual as though he were talking about the weather. Penelope had glanced up at him, a little startled at the statement. "Yes," he said at the look on her face "I used to get asked if the wind would pick me up and send me away with them" he touched his ears almost self consciously "obviously, I've grown into them, but I used to get teased quite mercilessly about them."

He looked over at her, a little slyly.

"I think my favourite was when Fife drew a picture of me flapping away with them like a bird-" she let out an involuntary laugh at that and he grinned at her "Yes, yes, laugh it up- I'm aware that it was hilarious. In fact, I still have the picture somewhere."

"You do?" she'd asked, wiping at her eyes.

"Yes, I do, and I did much like you are doing right now when I first saw it, but do you know what my sire said when I showed him?" Anthony had asked, suddenly earnest.

"What?"

"He told me, that by acknowledging that they upset me, I give them power- But if I don't let them get to me, I can take it away from them."

"What did you do next?" she questioned, his handkerchief clutched between her fingers.

"I went back out there after drawing a picture of Fife as a rat- Told the rest of the boys his art had inspired some of my own and they all thought it rather hilarious" he had patted his knees then, bringing himself to a stand before holding his gloved hand out to her, she had taken it a little timidly.

"What do you say?" he asked, "how about we figure out your own version of that drawing, hmm?"

And they had, she had washed her face and he sat her down with a pencil and loose paper and she had drawn Cressida Cowper as a a cow, her dress and rather distinctive hairdo clear as she could make it with her limited art skills, a cowpat with 'Cressida Cowpat' written in her neat handwriting above it.

Anthony had sent her out, a sweet from a draw in his desk and a pat on the shoulder. Cressida had tittered when she saw her again, delighted to torment her even further but when she opened her mouth Penelope, in all the bravado she had gained from Anthony had stood with her spine straight and her chin up and showed off her drawing.

"At least my name isn't Cressida Cowpat" she said, and one girl had snatched the paper from her hands and let out a giggle before passing it around until Cressida snatched it from Eloise Bridgerton's hands.

"You horrible little pig!" Cressida had hissed and Penelope made the softest 'moo' noise back at her.

Cressida and her followers had huffed and turned away from her, Cressida had gone running to her mother with the picture in hand and Portia had locked Penelope in her room the whole of the next day without food, but oh, it had been worth it.

She wonders if Anthony even remembered that.

As though conjured by her thoughts, the alpha walked around the corner, nose buried in some papers as he muttered to himself. She turned to watch him, and, like he could feel her eyes upon him, he looked up to spot her near the tapestry, fingers outstretched to it.

"Ah," he said, stopping in his tracks, he rocked on his feet for a moment before speaking "you know, it wasn't by chance that I found you that day" he said conversationally.

"Oh?" she asked, eyebrow raised at him.

"No, it wasn't- Did you ever wonder how I knew what you were so upset about?" he questioned and she snorts a little before shrugging.

"I was rather distraught over the whole debacle" she said, "and truthfully I was rather mortified that Prudence had found it just as funny."

"I was rather annoyed at your sister for that too" he admitted "I was coming up the path from visiting father's grave when I overheard the whole exchange, I wanted to say something but before I could you had gone racing off like someone had lit a fire beneath you, I followed after." He looked at the tapestry at that, taking in the colourful weave "I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do when I found you, but you reminded me an awful lot of myself when I was younger and I felt the need to give you the same advice I was given, impart a little wisdom from my sire. I still think of Cressida Cowpat every time I see her being dreadful to other people, and if I so happen to be in the vicinity where she can't see me I low like a cow at her just for the lark of it."

Penelope laughs at this, rich and full bellied in a way she hadn't in a long time.

"You don't-" she said, between giggles "you don't really, do you?"

"Oh yes, I certainly do- Just ask Ben. He does it too since I explained it to him, he derives great joy out of it, she's yet to realise who's doing it but that makes it all the more fun. I imagine after she's been particularly cruel that she needs to be taken down a peg or two." He nudges her with his shoulder, "Your insults and observations have always been quite clever."

She flushes a little at that, biting her lip as she looks down at her fingers.

He reaches out and squeezes her fingers briefly before letting go, only to tip her chin up so she would look at him. He searched for something in her face before smiling at her and planting a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Off you go Omega, I have work to do and you have a sitting with Ben if I remember correctly- He does like to make use of the golden hour sun- Whatever that means." Anthony said before squeezing her shoulder and leaving her alone in her thoughts. She had to change, she realised, the lack of underthings she had been wearing the last sitting was a little detrimental to Benedict's process. Probably.

It feels like hours later when she is stretched out on the settee, the sun coming through the floor length windows warming her. She's in that weirdly comfortable position he had arranged her into the last time and she's watching him with sleepy eyes as he dabs paint onto his canvas, his eyes intent between her and his painting.

"Why do you think Anthony is-" she fishes around for the right phrase and Benedict raises an eyebrow at her.

"So removed from all of the activities?" Benedict questioned, and she nodded a little meekly. She didn't want to seem so needy, but she's realising its the Omega in her pushing a lot of these feelings. She's so used to not needing people that it's disconcerting that she feels the need to be around her pack so much, like if she didn't get to see them that she would starve. Benedict heaves a sigh before dropping his shoulder's and leaning back in his seat to look at her, head tilted to the side in contemplation.

"The thing with Anthony is that until he is forced to acknowledge it- He won't realise just how much you need him sweetling, he's pulled in so many directions as the head of the family, his title and pack leader that he tends to not realise whats right under his nose. I think you need to take some of that initiative that we saw last night and make him acknowledge you." He said, and she frowned in thought, she knew on some level how busy he was, but it didn't really occur to her just bad it was. She wondered if there were more to it.

With Benedict's advice swirling in her head, she decides to just do what she does best and observe. Between fittings of her new wardrobe over the week and being pulled apart and put back together by Colin and Benedict individually and together she watches.

And it is enlightening.

She knows Anthony keeps a strict eye on how his time is spent, checking his pocket watch to make sure he is always on time if not early to any gatherings they manage to scrape out of him, she notices how he spends early morning looking over the ledger before going on a brisk half our walk about the grounds checking on the stables and gardens as he goes. He then has breakfast with them and after uses his time until lunch going through any mail and replying to anything that is in need of it. He then dedicates his evening to meeting with the tenant farmers ensuring everything is on track.

She learns that they own a significant acreage of apple orchids for cider production- They also own pigs for meat and cows for milk and cheese. There's sheep for wool production and, the kitchen gardens that feed the house at large, them and the servants.

There's a lot of different things he needs to keep track of, and had they not been sequestered for their bonding, he would have been called in for judicial hearings too. She wonders how he ever had time for the mistresses he was rumoured to have.

But she supposed a man made time for the little thrills in life.

Which, was a gnawing at her really, if he made time for them- Why had he not made time for her in his busy schedule?

Oh sure, he fed her and scented her but he didn't do any of the sexual side of it since the night she had taken him in her mouth. And the thing was, if she was really being honest with herself, she needed more from him too. She was independent, and had learned to thrive on her own but curse her, she felt this ever pervasive dull ache of loss when it came to Anthony.

Had he, in his absence of her came to some conclusion about her being his omega? There wasn't anything to do about it now, they were well past the stage of having cold feet but she wondered if he were considering taking on a beta mistress when they went back to join the ton. Even the mere thought of it had her claws extending from her nail beds. Colin had caught her the other day deep in her thoughts on it, had taken her hand and kissed her knuckles before asking her "What has you ready to tear a man down Pen?"

It was driving her to madness.

Benedict had given her this knowing look, as though he could read her and knew the answers to everything that plagued her.

She lays awake one morning after Anthony slips from her nest, she finds herself unable to shake the unerring feeling of discontent feeding an anger building in her chest.

Because, how dare he? He turns her life upside down and inside out and then hides in his study from her, does he think if he continues on this path that she will feel able to let him into her nest when the time comes for their bonding? Wasn't that the point of being sequestered away in the country?

So that he and his brothers could ready her to take them, to feed her their come and dote upon her so that when they bite her, their bonding takes?

How can their bonding take if he isn't putting in the effort too?

Penelope sits up in a fit of madness, shrugging on a housecoat before pulling her hair from the collar of it. She looks back at Benedict and Colin, breathing in their scent as they gravitate toward each other in her absence.

If she weren't so infuriated with heir brother, she would find this charming and tease them for it when they awoke.

Instead of lingering any longer, she pushed herself from the bed and sneaks out of her nest, closing the door with a soft click as she goes. She knows he's in his study looking over the ledger around this time so she makes her way there, determined to force him into spending time with them today.

Her insides cramp as she approaches the heavy wooded door, and she hesitates momentarily, hand up to knock before she shakes off the urge to be polite and barges in.

Anthony is there, hunched over a book writing in his cramped, neat scrawl. He looks up at her startled, frowning as he takes in the image she must make.

Hair a mess, housecoat barely done up and, the sheer nightgown she has on, may as well be see through for all the good it did in preserving her modesty.

"What has happened, what is wrong?" He questions, standing from his seat, the scrape of it against the hardwood floor loud enough to send the hairs on the back of her neck on end.

"Nothing has happened" she says and he relaxes, he goes to open his mouth when she beats him to the punch "and that," she says primly "is precisely the problem." Her chest is heaving in her upset, and she can feel her cheeks heating so she turns and paces away from him, so he can't see the way he is affecting her. She peers at the spines of the books stuffed tightly into bookshelves that line two of the walls, running a finger along them as she reads some of the titles.

"Please explain Penelope" he says from his spot, and she can feel the way his eyes follow her as she makes her way around his study.

"It occurs to me, that I have been here near a fortnight and I have barely seen hide nor hair of you" she says, refusing to turn and face him, she slips a novel from the bookshelf and lets it fall open in her hands. She's a little incredulous to find it's a Miss Butterworth novel, but pushes aside that for a later time "now, correct me if I am wrong my lord, but as the head of your pack would that not mean that you were equally responsible for my needs as your omega?" her question is asked tartly and she places the book back where she found it, throwing a brief look at him over her shoulder before turning back to her perusal of the shelves.

"Am I to understand that you feel as though I am not meeting those needs?" he asked tersely and she can feel the tension coiling in his body behind her. His scent is soured, and the taste of it on the back of her tongue puckers her lips at the tartness. None of the sweet remains to soften it for her.

"Precisely" she says.

"Look at me, Omega" he all but growls, and she refuses- Partly on principle but also because she knows if she turns to face him, she will crumple under his gaze. One, two, three steps and he is behind her now. She shudders a little as he presses into her, trapping her in the cage of his arms. "Look. At. Me." he snaps.

She spins around, glaring up at him, retort on the tip of her tongue- But she finds it fails her when she sees the look in his eye.

"I stay away for your sake Penelope" he hisses, dropping his face to her neck, which she bares to him. He hums in pleasure as he noses along the column of her throat, pressing his nose into her pulsing gland. "Do you have any idea the devastation it wrought upon my family when my sire died? James and Gareth felt the snapping of the bonds just as clear as my mother did, I was the only one available mentally to take upon the responsibilities he left behind. If I allow myself to get too close to you, I run the risk of leaving behind the same devastation."

She swallows, chest heaving as he speaks his truth into her neck.

"Is that not my choice to make?" she questions hotly, "I could die Anthony, anyone of us could die at any time- You are not the only one who's father left behind devastation when he died." She shakes her head then, a bitter hiss of breath escaping her "except mine was murdered and we were left impoverished."

He pulls back from her neck and looks down at her, as though seeing her for the first time ever.

"I know my mother thinks me ignorant, I know she had all these lofty ideas that I was but a simple beta that would take over her care in her old age, that I would wither and die right along beside her when her time came. Do you know what it is to be a Featherington? Particularly one who is painfully aware of our standing within the ton?" she scoffs, looking away from him, unable to bare looking at him.

"No," he says softly, almost too soft for her to hear, she nods her head, dashing away a tear as it escapes her.

"I am entirely too aware of all my father's misdeeds, I am aware of the way in which he was found- Did you know that they cut off his hands to let people know that he was a thief? You men and your gaming hells, you go in full well knowing the consequences when you cannot pay the price of your greed but you do it anyway without a clear thought for the people under your charge who rely on you" she pulls in a breath, wishing she could stuff the words back into her mouth for the shame of it all, but she can't seem to stop herself. "I may not of known how children came about, but lord I knew what a prostitute was well before I had even bled for the first time- There's only so many times you can hear it hissed between maids about your father's visitations to the bawdy houses before you get a clear idea."

"Pene-" Anthony goes to say, but she holds a hand up to silence him.

"I understand the idea that your mortality stares you down from its perch Anthony, I know that at any moment bad things can happen and they frequently do, but you cannot let it rule your life" she pokes him in the chest to iterate her point. "It's why I put myself in harms way, it's why I'm Lad-" he kisses her.

He kisses her and, oh, its biting and almost like a punishment but she gives him back just as good as she gets. He sucks her bottom lip into his mouth and bends to slip hands under her rump and lifts so she has no other choice but to wrap her legs around him. At the angle he has her in, the skirt of her nightgown pools between her legs, and she may as well be naked beneath the heat of his hands upon her. He holds her aloft with one hand as the other rips her housecoat down her shoulders. Once she is divested of it, he lifts her higher so he can kiss down her neck and draw her nipple into his mouth through the gauzy material of her gown. She sighs at the pleasure of it, hand in the thick of his hair head back against the shelf behind her as he bites at her nipples and then swirls a tongue around them in an almost apology.

He makes sure he has her firm in his arms before spinning them toward his desk, her heart skips at the weightless feeling of it before he lays her on the desk with a scatter off papers and an ink pot falling to the floor with a crash.

Anthony gazes down at her, thumbing at her lips before trailing it down her heaving chest. He pulls the string out of the bow that's holding her nightgown in place and he slips that trailing hand beneath the fabric so he can massage her breasts, flicking a thumb over one peaked nipple. She shudders at his slow appraisal of her, and she goes to sit up as he falls to his knees before her but one of his long fingered hands pushes her back down.

He slips beneath her skirt and she can't help the loud keen that escapes her when he starts to feast upon her. Her thighs are wet with her slick, and she's sure she drips with it as he plunders her with his tongue and rolls a thumb over her pearl. Her back arches under his ministrations and her breath stutters from her when he leans back to part her lips and simply gaze upon her most vulnerable parts.

"Fuck 'mega" he murmurs as he presses against her again, sucking her clit into his mouth as he slips his fingers into her to fuck her with them, he pulls back just enough to say "the taste of you- Perfect girl, do you know what you do to me?" she can't do anything but moan in response.

He quickly finds this magical spot inside her that sets off fireworks behind her eyelids and she blinks dazedly at the ceiling as she rocks against his mouth and fingers. She shatters, falls apart again and again until he abruptly stands and undoes his breaches so he can push into her. He hovers above her, his usually immaculate hair is in disarray, his lips shine with her slick but he doesn't seem to care as he pounds into her. He leans down, hand cuffed loosely around her neck so he can massage at her glands much like Benedict had done during their picnic.

"You have no idea, do you?" he asks "you have no idea the torment I put myself through to spare you the hurt of becoming attached to me- I smell them upon you without my scent to claim you just as much mine and I want to rip my own packs throats out for you."

"Y-you could have relived yourself of that burden at anytime" she says, entirely too breathy. He huffs a laugh and its almost scornful.

"I try to do my duties and all I can think of is you beneath my desk on your knees warming my cock in your mouth, or you arse up over my lap as I spank it as red as your hair- I want you bent over my desk so I can watch how delightful that gorgeous, plump arse of yours bounces on my cock, god, all I can think of is you, all I breath is you. You are everywhere Penelope, you are in my pores, my very soul." He says in a growl, hips pushing into her harder and harder. She lets out a mewl of noise at the treatment, hand trying to slip between them so she can rub at the aching pleasure hovering on the edge there. He uses his free hand to pin her arm above her head and she almost sobs in frustration as he slows his pace, her pleasure winding down a little.

He rocks in and out of her with care, but she doesn't want his care and the snarl on her lips makes him chuckle at her.

"Oh sweet girl, now you get to feel an ounce of my frustration," he murmurs, pressing his forehead against hers "while my brothers have been fucking you all over the estate I have been alone rutting into my own fist thinking of you." He groans lowly as she presses her heels into him, trying to spur him on again. "No," he says, smacking her thigh in warning "no Penelope, you get to take it, take it until you are delirious as I, take it until you are sobbing and begging for your release."

She wants to beg him now, but she has no doubt it would fall on deaf ears in that moment.

"That's it," he says, hand pushing her head back as he attacks the gland on her neck with his blunt teeth. She would no doubt bruise there. "That's my good girl" he soothes her hair away from her face "think you can take my knot Omega?" he asks and she moans at that, she can feel him thickening at his base, can feel how big it is pressing into her.

"Please" she sobs out, hands clenched into white knuckled fists above her head "please Alpha."

"Please what, Omega?" he demands from her and she almost sobs anew at it.

"Please let me come Alpha, please!" she cries out and he purrs in approval of her begging. He slips a hand between them and rolls his thumb over her clit in the tight, fast circles she prefers and it rips the orgasm from her, a gush of fluid drips from her as he locks his knot into her. He rocks into her, biting at her gland as he pumps his come into her. Much to her surprise he lifts her into his arms and drops them into a seat so they can both sit comfortably as they wait for his knot to die down.

Another orgasm rips through her as his knot is forced further into her at the new angle and her curses as he throws his head back and moans as her muscles wring another release of his come into her. She pants against his neck, head dizzy with the pleasure.

"Fuck" he groans "Gods Penelope, you took me so fucking well Omega" he soothes his tongue over the bruise no doubt purpling on her neck "my good girl."

The praise falling from his lips has her preening, and she sighs, lax in his arms.

"I'm sorry Penelope," he says after a moment of quiet "I should have known you would understand my panic- It does not excuse my behaviour but I honestly believed my avoidance was for the best."

She nods against his chest.

"It's okay," she replied quietly, thinking of how she almost revealed Lady Whistledown to him. "We all have our ways of coping with loss Anthony, yours was to avoid and runaway from true connection, mine was to bury myself in my own business to the point I often forget that there are real world consequences to my actions, we all have our vices, it is simply a matter of recognising when we need to let somebody in to help sort our priorities."

He runs a hand through her tangle of curls and hums to himself.

"And what, dear Penelope, do you need help with?" he asks and her breath catches at the question.

Should she?

"Not yet," she murmurs, closing her eyes at the onslaught of emotion- God, they were going to hate her when they knew "I'll tell you soon, I just want to bask in this a little longer."

He doesn't ask again, simply rubs a hand over her back as he purrs

Chapter 4

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Anthony could tell his little Omega was keeping secrets.

He could see it in the tension between her shoulders, the way she looks at them sometimes as though she had already lost them. What could be causing her such distress? He watches her emotionally pull away from them, and his heart hurts as his pack struggles with her distancing.

Something was going on with her, and he would get to the bottom of it.

He runs a soothing hand down her back as he watches her sleep, her hair is loose and fanned out over her pillow and Colin's arm. She's snuggled into his brother's front, face pressed tightly to his chest so he can't see her face but he's sure there is that ever present frown marring her face even in her sleep. He wants to soothe it away from her lovely face, assure her of their devotion as her alpha's. There was no secret too great that they could not come back from, surely.

He shifts closer to her and presses against her back, spooning her from behind. The tension in her shoulders relax as she sighs into the heat of him at her back. He kisses the crown of her head, shifting her hair so he doesn't tug at it. Something big was weighing her down, and truthfully? He was a little afraid of the implications of what it could be gathering by the way she was pulling away from them.

Had they not proven that they would support her at this point in their bonding?

She pushes the swell of her bottom back into him and rubs against his morning erection, the only way she hadn't pulled back from them was her sexual exploits with them, and while he was grateful that they got to share at least that with her- And gods was it a privilege and pleasure, especially with the way she bucked and squirmed on their cocks- he *missed* her. He missed her cheeky smile, her quips and witty banter and the way she challenges him.

He misses that secret smile she gives him when he recognises she is being particularly clever, the one where one side of her mouth curls up *just* for him.

"Anthony" she sighs out sleepily, pushing back against him and he groans as she rubs against him enticingly.

"Careful Omega" he rumbles "Keep rubbing up against me like that and I'll slip my cock into you, my wanton little thing" she gasps at that, tipping her head back with a moan at his words. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you Omega?" he questions in a low voice, fingers finding her pebbled nipples. He pinched them as red as that pouty mouth of hers. He paused as Colin shifted in his sleep, before rolling over. His brother settled back into sleep and Anthony took it as the right moment to hook her plush leg over his hip. She sighs happily as he nudges against the heat between her legs.

"Yes" she hissed, eyes fluttering as he gathered her wetness on the tip of his cock and slid it over her centre. "Please" she begs, and oh, what a beautiful sight it is "want you inside me Alpha, want your knot to fill me up."

And, with that he fucks up into her sweet little pussy. She's so wet and warm around him, the walls of her silky soft heat squeezing him. He rolls his hips into her, groaning into her neck, she's so wet dripping down her thighs and around him- Her slick opening her up for the thickness of his cock.

He was building up a soft knot already, she's so hot around and against him.

"I- I need" she pants, fingers clenched in the sheets, eyes half mast in her pleasure.

"What do you need baby?" he asks, slides the hand that had been holding her leg over his hip to her clit, circling it "need me to touch you here sweet little Omega?" she moans, tightening around him. "Yeeess, that's it sweetheart, come around my cock."

"Anthony" she says, turning her head back, seeking his lips and he takes her mouth with his in a fierce press of lips and tongues. They kiss languidly as she comes, sweet little pussy pulsing around him, and his knot catches as he fucks up into her again and again until he locks into her. He rolls his hips in little circles, and she milks his cock with every little death he wrings out of her.

"Beautiful" he murmurs, pressing a kiss to her neck, nibbling on the throbbing scent gland there. It was red and swollen, and his canine pricked his tongue as he licked his teeth. He buries his nose into it, and she smells incredible- So juicy and delicious in her pleasure. She's so close to her heat, and, as reluctant as he was to pull away from her, he knew he had a few things to do in order to make sure the servants wouldn't come near the nest when it hit. Cook would have to be warned, a well looked after Omega had a ferocious appetite in all aspects.

That and he had to re-direct their mail to Bridgerton House in London, because the moment her heat was over, they would have to return to society, for better or worse.

Once his knot loosens her pulls away to gather a cloth to clean her up, she sleepily allows him to manipulate her limbs around as he sorts her out so she can go back to sleep comfortably. He kisses her, sweetly and with adoration before pulling away. Colin had turned over again and pulled her into his arms, kissing her head and snuggling up to her. He snorts, pulling his clothes on as he watches Colin's eyes crack open so his brother can glare at him over her head.

He goes about his tasks before settling into his office to go over the mail. Tucked in amongst the letters from his family is a letter with the seal of of the investigator he hired when Penelope had confessed all that had happened during her last heat. He immediately cracks the seal and unfurls it, his face becomes grim as he reads through it. It's as he thought.

The enterprising doctor had thought to use the slick of his Omega patients to make pheromone enhancers and oils. His lip curls in disgust, the violation of the trust of the doctor's Omega patients settling into his gut heavily. How many more had been taken advantage of during their most vulnerable moments?

There was a good reason why the pheromone thick bodily fluids of Omega's were prohibited from being used as an enhancer, it was *dangerous*. Whether the Alpha chasing beta's believed it or not it was sheer fact that their bodies were not made to even take a soft knot, let alone a full one. Pheromones gathered from Omega's in heat were potent and could set off ruts.

Just the thought of Penelope's scent being used to entice some other alpha made his blood burn.

He licks his bottom lip and catches the flavour of her there, he wants to go back to the bedroom and rut into her, but knows she needs all the rest she can get for the coming days.

Anthony pulls his pocket watch out and flicks it open to check the time, eyebrows pulled together in thought as he goes over what else he needs to do before deciding he best go check on Benedict. He finds his brother perched on a stool dabbing paint to the painting he is working on, he walks around the easel to see Ben's work and his breath is stolen from him.

Penelope stares back at him from the canvas, her big blue eyes half lidded and lazy in her comfort. She's curled onto the settee, leg propped up enticingly, the sheer fabric of her underpinnings clinging to her curves, hair loose and unbound. The light from the window plays over her in golden waves, her hair almost taking on the appearance of fire in the light bathing her. He whistles as he looks over it appreciatively, and Benedict leans back, eyeing his brother with that half cocked smile of his.

"I think this is your best work Ben" he said honestly and Benedict's smile turns into a full tilt grin.

"If you think this is good, you should see the paintings I did over one of the sketches I made of her from our picnic" Ben says, pointing at one of his sketchbooks and Anthony leans down to gather it into his hands, he flips through the pages until he comes across what Ben was talking about. She's riding, presumably Colin, the dappled lighting coming through the great oak's canopy making her look like a little garden nymph. She's bare, her breasts exposed and pink. He nearly bites through his lip just imaging how she must have looked in person locked in her pleasure and taking it from one of her mates. He wishes he hadn't been so very in his own head and had gone with them that day.

"This one is only for us" he says a little hoarsely, and Ben laughs at him.

"Only for us" his brother says knowingly, shooting him a sideways glance.

He takes a fortifying breath, closes the book and sits down before ruining the mood and informing his brother of the investigators findings. It isn't good, and the situation would have to be handled when they got back to London. The appropriate authorities would have to be informed, and the family and packs of the Omega's under the Doctor's care informed. There was a lot to think about.

He then leans back and rubs a hand over his forehead.

"Penelope is going into heat soon, her scent is ripening and my canines descended when I was scenting her glands this morning" he says, and Benedict shares a look with him. The anticipation of sharing a heat with their Omega is a heady thing, something they had been searching for was in their grasps. It could be the imperative drive to mate their Omega but he could feel his feelings softening toward her in a way he hadn't experienced before. He had no doubt the same was being experienced by Benedict and Colin, and wasn't that frightening thought?

————————————-

Penelope stretches like a cat, all loose limbed and arched back. Colin grunts from beside her, one of his hands catching her around the middle.

"Good morning Pen" he says, pulling her over to him so he can bury his nose into her scent gland. He purrs and it triggers the Omega in her and slick gathers at her centre. She feels hot and achy, and she lets out a noise of pleasure as Colin lathes her scent gland his tongue. She gasps as he rolls on top of her, pinning her hands above her head.

He noses at her cheek, kissing at the corner of her mouth.

"Heard you and Ant fucking this morning" he grumbles "feels the height of rudeness that I wasn't invited." She laughs at him, can feel him smiling against her skin even before he finishes telling her of his ills. He's not really upset, just teasing her.

"Maybe join in next time if you really feel left out" she says lightly, lifting his face so she can look him in the eye, a cheeky smile on her face. He hums at that, turning his face into her palm to nip at the meat of it. The bite is sharp and when he smiles at her, teeth bared his Alpha canines are descended and sharp. She's not sure if she's intimidated by them, or if the sight of them is making her slick flood from her. Probably both really.

She tongues at her own canines and they're the sharp little points of Omega canines and she grins back at him, full toothed and she's sure a little silly looking. Instead of laughing at her he thumbs at her mouth and pushes her lip up so he can get a better look of them. He groans when she opens wide and lets one of them graze the pad of his thumb.

"Gods, look at you Omega" he says, voice gravely in his want of her "thought you smelled ripe for the taking this morning sweet girl- And as much as I wish to rut you into the mattress I think we should get you fed and as pampered as Princess because you're going to need all the energy you can get."

She's not sure how she feels about her oncoming heat, part of her is panicky at the thought of it, her last one having marred her opinion of it, and part of her knows she really ought to let them know she is Lady Whistledown before they make the biggest commitment of their lives. She worries her lip and Colin's chest rumbles in that purr of his again as he rubs his thumb over her cheek soothingly.

"It's alright Pen" he says gently "we have you, you need not fear anything with us, we will look after you." She doesn't have the heart to tell him that she's not sure he will even want to look at her anymore when he finds out who she is.

She's given a cursory wipe down, Colin murmuring assertions to her that no doubt Anthony has already taken control and informed the staff. The only people around her would be her ladies maid and the house keeper, an elderly woman with her hair in a neat bun.

He helps her into her housecoat and swings her into his arms to trek her to the informal dining room. Anthony and Benedict are already there, deep in discussion, Colin sets her into Anthony's lap, and he takes her into his arms with an appreciative groan.

"I could eat you for breakfast instead Penelope" he says as he buries his nose into her neck. She hisses a little as his nose comes in contact with her swollen scent gland. He licks at it soothingly and she lolls her head to the side to allow it. Benedict feeds her some fruit, a tart strawberry, a slice of apricot. She hums in pleasure as she eats every bite he presents to her. A hand glides up one of her bared legs and she widens her thighs thinking it Anthony but when she looks at him, he's cutting his own food and taking bites of it. She looks down and there's Colin, grinning up at her from between her legs. He licks her slick from her thighs, hot breath caressing at her centre as he gazes at her pink, and wet, all for him.

Her breath hiccups in her throat as he presses his tongue into her, feasting on her slick. He hooks her legs over his shoulders and makes a meal of her. She can't think, can't breathe. He's stealing every thought from her head as he spears her with his tongue over and over again. Benedict's teasing tone says something about Colin beating Anthony to it but her head falls back onto Anthony's shoulder and she loses herself to the sensation.

Her eyelids are fluttering when Benedict directs her gaze back to him with a gentle hand.

He slides a buttery piece of toast with blueberry jam spread over it. It's delicious and she licks the jam from her lips when she finishes it. Colin sucks her clit, fingers pressing into her as she bucks into his mouth. He swirls his tongue as he sucks and before she can take another bite of her toast she shatters, ears ringing, toes curling, her orgasm is ripped from her.

When she comes to again, Colin is kissing her thighs and Anthony is groaning, head back tipped back as he glares up at the ceiling. Benedict simply offers her more toast, smiling at her as she takes a ferocious bite from it. She's hungry, so gods damned hungry after the intensity of her orgasm. Colin crawls out from under the table and picks up his napkin to wipe at his face, digging straight into his breakfast once his face is no longer shiny with her slick.

What are they doing to her? How could she ever walk away from this after all is revealed? Because there was no doubt she would have to walk away, she had her reasons for the things she had said in her gossip papers but she knows some of it wouldn't have been well received by them. She had dabbled in Colin's life and stuck her nose where it had not belonged when it become clear that her cousin had no inclination of telling him of her deceit.

He had almost mated her.

She looks up at the ceiling with Anthony, snuggling back into his arms and blinking back tears that threatened to spill.

Oh, this would hurt.

Penelope feels agitated, she spends the rest of breakfast only really responding to Benedict's nudging to take a bite, she can see the brothers exchanging looks but she can't put much feeling or thought into it. She feels agitated, uncomfortable in her skin as she goes through the motions. Eventually they brother split off to do their own thing, Colin is not far from her and while she appreciates the gesture she wants to yell at him to leave her be.

Her scenting glands are pulsing with need and she can't help the way she scratches at them as she paces. She feels like ripping her skin off. She's uncomfortably hot and she can feel her nails extending and sharpening into claws.

"Pen" Colin's voice says, and she snaps her head toward him, a storm building in her chest as she gazes at him. He's got that gentle look on his face that he takes on when he can see somebody is in distress, she's seen it used several times before with his sisters. She's reminded of Marina's taunting of her, how she told her that Colin regards her like she's Hyacinth and it grates on her nerves to realise he's treating her with kid gloves.

She can tell she's sweating, and knows she looks a little crazed in her pacing. She can't help it though, she knew her heat coming on would be difficult but it is proving to be harder for her to cope with than she originally anticipated. He sits there quietly, the steady gaze an invitation for her to tell him the real reason why she's so anxious and frantic.

She's struck by the sudden urge to crawl to him and lay her head in his lap, he's Colin, he'll make her feel better.

Instincts riding her at this point, she drops to her knees, and they're protected by the ornamental rug covering the floor of the library they're ensconced in. She hovers on her knees for a moment trying to breathe through the feeling and notices he sits up straighter in his seat as she gathers herself. Her Omega is pushing at her skin, and she feels stretched taught within herself, hovering between the beta ideals she had been brought up following and this almost animalistic need boiling inside her. She huffs and unties her housecoat before letting it fall from her shoulders. She's in a nightgown, waiting on the ceremonial robes she would need for the bonding ceremony later on. It's practically see through with the way it clings to her sweaty skin. Penelope looks Colin in the eye and then crawls to him on her hands and knees. He parts his legs as she comes closer to him, and he pats his thigh and strokes back her hair when she lays her head on the place he had gestured for her to lay it.

"Oh Pen," he says, voice gentle "precious heart, I know this is hard on you. Do you wish me to walk you through what is going to happen later on today?" he asks and she nods. "Well, first you get to have a luxurious bath to purify you- its really aimed at neutralising your scent so that we can get through the blessing and anointing without descending on you like hungry wolves. Then you're dressed in your ceremonial robes which are being delivered today, and your ladies maid will blindfold you" she looks up at him at that and he gives her a gentle smile.

"Blindfolded?" she asks, a little incredulous.

"Yes Pen, blindfolded- I know it sounds like a lot, and it is, but it is simply one of the old traditions that have lasted, Tilly will be with you and guide you to the binding room. You will have to wait outside the room until we have been anointed and blessed by the clergyman, after that he opens the door to the binding room and says your blessings to you before anointing you on the forehead with honeysuckle oil for the binding, and then you are ushered into the binding room and have to find us through our scent. Once you have found us one by one we mark where you intend on placing our binding bites with a pigmented balm they make from rose petals." She stares at Colin a little wide eyed, Benedict had truly under explained the whole anointing and binding to her.

"What happens if I don't find you?" she asks, her stomach in knots "I mean, does that mean we don't do our binding and I can't share my heat with you?"

"Nothing that drastic Pen, it just means we wait until the next heat to bite you, we still see you through your heat" he answers and her heart rate slows a little at that, she still can't help the ever looming worry of her Lady Whistledown identity. She can't bring it up though because before she knows it Tilly is knocking on the door and coming in with arms laden with a white dress box, cheeks red at the position Penelope is in. Colin helps her to her feet and guides her out of the library, trailing after Tilly as her ladies maid walks her to her omega suite. The wash tub is being prepped, buckets of heated water poured into the tub before Tilly dips her fingers in to test the temperature of it. Before long it is filled, and the steam coming from it alluring. She couldn't wait to sink into it, maybe it would allow her time to clear her head and think of what to say to her pack. If they continued to be her pack beyond this point.

Tilly picked up a ornate rose coloured bottle, and tips the contents into the water. It's light pink in colouring and astonishingly pearlescent. Penelope shifts her hands to the tie keeping her nightgown on her but Tilly stills her hands, shaking her head.

"Not yet my lady, you must enter the bath clothed- silly as it is" Tilly says and Penelope cocks her head to the side in questioning and Tilly sighs a little before blowing a loose strand of hair from her face. "Your alpha's have to enter one at a time and pour the purifying bath salts into your bath, but until you mate they cannot 'feast their eyes upon your naked flesh'." Tilly says the last part like she is quoting something, and Penelope scoffs a little at the whole thing, have they not already feasted their eyes upon her naked flesh? What codswallop.

Penelope sighs in annoyance, hands on hips.

"And what would happen should I enter the bath naked?" she asks and Tilly pulls a face that tells Penelope all she needs to know, it would set back the blessings. "Fine," she says with a shrug "not entirely sure the dunderhead who deemed it necessary considered the transparency of wet cloth but sure, let me wet a perfectly nice nightgown for the sake of propriety."

Tilly stifles a laugh at the whole thing. She holds out a hand to Penelope and she takes it gratefully, she grasps the skirt of her nightgown to free a leg to step over the edge of the tub. It's fairly high up so she has to straddle it a little to get in but once in she settles into the water. Her nightgown billows up around her, the thin fabric not yet laden down by enough water to sink beneath the water. She pats and pokes at it until it settled down enough for her to sit comfortably and then she sinks into the water gratefully. With the subtle sweetness of the water her mind is clearing enough for her to process all she had been told. Clearly if her Alphas were to come and see her while her head was so clear, she could take this time to inform them of her identity as Lady Whistledown.

"I'll leave you to it then my Lady, should I send your first Alpha in then?" Tilly says and Penelope looks over at her nodding slightly and her ladies maid bows out from the room. Not ten minutes later and Colin comes into the room, he holds a pouch in his hand as he comes over and crouches beside the bath.

He's untying the knotted leather tie around the pouch when she clears her throat a little in preparation for what she has to say, he eyes her as he deftly unties the pouch and sprinkles the bath salts into the water. He dips a hand in and swirls the water around a little.

"You look like you have something on your mind Pen" he says, voice even and she swallows against the rising nausea in her throat. It had to be Colin who would come in first, the one she had hurt with her gossip papers.

"I-" she begins, breaking their locked gaze to look at her pruning fingers "I have a confession that may change how you feel about bonding me Colin" she says in a rush, and he's silent for a moment before his hand grips her chin and turns her gaze back to his.

"Whatever it is Penelope" he says "nothing could change how I feel about bonding to you, we are intrinsically tied together Omega."

Tears prick at her eyes and she blinks them away.

"Do not be so hasty Colin, at least until you have heard what I have to say" she says, voice hoarse "I do not wish to lead you astray any longer, you need to know what it is i have done before you can speak of not changing how you feel Colin because this is" she pauses, biting her lip "this is huge, it is going to change how you perceive me completely and forever."

He furrows his brow, his green eyes searching her face, and he must see what he was searching for because he closes his eyes in defeat and nods.

"Okay," he says, voice measured "I will hear you out, but do know I am the only one who gets to decide if this changes how I see you Pen, that is not up to you to decide."

A little chastened, she nods.

"I am so sorry Colin, I have done you a great disservice" her voice breaks a little "I betrayed your trust, know I did it in a bid to save you from a loveless match, but I hurt you no less for it." He sits up a little, confusion clouding his features. She takes in a shuddering breath, "I am Lady Whistledown Colin, I am the one who broke news of Marina's pregnancy, I ruined her and I hurt you and there is not a day that goes by that I do not regret the casualties in what I did but I stand by doing it to save you from racing to Gretna green under false pretence."

He looks at her blankly, stands from his crouch and leaves the room. She curls in on herself a little, hugging her knees to her chest as the breath is stolen from her lungs. She presses her face to her wet knees hard, unsure if she wants to cry or vomit.

It feels like an age later when he comes back into the room, steps thundering toward her before he kneels beside the tub again.

"Look at me Omega" he says and when she refuses he grits his teeth "look. at. me." She is forced to look at him then, compelled by his Alpha bark. There is a darkness in his eyes she hadn't seen before, those green eyes of his near all pupil as he trails his eyes over her. She goes to drop her gaze again but he grips her chin in tight fingers, forcing her gaze to his again.

"Why did you not tell me" he demands and she scrunches her eyes closed as she breathes through a wave of his scent, caramel burnt and bitter.

"I tried" she said, a little pleading "that day in my families house, I tried telling you, I know now that no amount of what I said would have been understood by you now I understand the mechanics behind becoming with child but I did not know beyond it being something that happens when two people who love one another." He nods grimly at her.

"Could you have not just said that she was with child?" he asks, and she cringes a little.

"In hindsight, yes, but I also wasn't sure how you would take me telling you that plainly, would you have even believed me or would you have seen it as a ploy by me to ruin your esteem for her?" she blinks her eyes open at him, and his tight grip softens "I am sure even you noticed how plainly I felt for you, it was clear to all the ton how I felt for you."

He hums a little, eyes boring into hers.

"I did not suspect anything beyond a little crush Penelope" he says and she frowns at him.

"Surely it is clear as day that I was besotted with you Colin, Marina all but admitted that you spared my feelings by entertaining my little girl whims but regarded me no more than you would Hyacinth" she says a little bitterly and he laughs, its not his usual laugh, its bitter in nature.

"Christ, what a mess" he says under his breath before pressing his mouth to hers in a biting kiss. It holds none of the sweetness she is used to from him but she melts into it no less.

He bruises her lips with nips that he soothes with his tongue before touching it to hers and dominating her mouth with it. She groans into the kiss, slick now mixing with the bath water as he plunders her mouth. He pulls away panting, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Does that clear any fears you have that I feel for you as though you are my little sister?" he asks "Or do I have to ruin your purification bath by fucking you into it Penelope? What utter nonsense, if I saw you as a sibling I would not delight in the way you come apart under my mouth Penelope, I would not see that face of yours and wonder at how I can put that pretty pink blush of yours on it, I would not think of that rose petal mouth wrapped around my cock" he grinds out "and I would not think of how delightfully tight that pink little cunt of yours is around my cock."

She lets out a noise that has him pouncing on her again, and his hand disappears beneath the water to find her dripping wet for him, he bats the sodden fabric of her nightgown away so he can thrust his fingers into her. She gasps against his mouth and he curls his fingers into her, fucking them in and out as his thumb finds her clit. Its over so quickly she gets whiplash, her orgasm tears through her body and he bites the scream from her mouth. She pants and he brings his wet hand to her hair to grip at it.

"I am incredibly angry at you right now Penelope, but we are going to get through our bonding and talk through it properly after- Do not breathe a word to my brothers, allow me to talk to them first." Colin looks at her imploringly and when she nods her head he nods his in return "Good, now I am going to send Ben in, and you are going to act as normal as possible, they have no real stakes in this, I will deal with any anger they feel over this whole predicament Penelope, but leave it to me, do you understand?"

"Yes" she says, head swimming a little, and he kisses her forehead before standing abruptly and stalking from the room.

Ben comes in not a minute later and whistles lowly. He regards her as he upends his pouch of bath salts, before he kneels beside the tub, stirring the bath water. She eyes him a little suspiciously and he grins so broadly she has to blink at him.

"How much did you hear?" she asks, and he cups a handful of the water and lets it drip from his hand onto her shoulder. She shivers in the sudden change in temperature and tilts her body towards him, the water sloshes a little over the side of the tub as she does so.

"Hmm," he dithers a little, walking his fingers up her arm "I heard quite a lot little Penny, you may have to elaborate."

She frowns at him, lips pulled into a grimace.

"Did you hear that I-" she began and he quickly pressed a finger to her lips.

"That you came in under a minute in this tub?" he asked and she shakes her head a little "Hmm, no, okay, maybe the part where you likened yourself to Hyacinth of all people?" she shakes her head again, agitated "no, I guess that's not it then- Maybe you mean the part where you confessed to being Lady Whistledown?" she blanches a little at that and Benedict smiles. "Ah yes," he says, pointing at her "that's the one."

She deflates a little and he clicks his tongue at her.

"Don't be silly little kitty, I always knew you had claws, and I find the whole thing remarkable really- If we had time would ask you to regale me with all the ways you have managed to keep yourself undetected- Especially given Eloise's previous hunt for you" he said and she leans forward on a whim and bites the tip of his finger, he hisses a little and gives her bedroom eyes. "I am going to have fun with that clever mouth of yours later Penny" he says, biting his lip as she pulls back. He cups her jaw and draws her to him so he can kiss her breathless.

"You really didn't explain the whole blessing process to me properly" she says when he draws back and he shrugs, scuffing her chin with his knuckles.

"Never said I was any good at informing- Besides, having you on my lap the way you were was decidedly distracting, even more so when I put my fingers between your legs and felt how wet you were for me" Benedict says earnestly, a wicked grin splitting across his mouth moments later. She frowns at him and looks away from his face, suddenly nervous about interacting with Anthony. Benedict must read her anxiety on her body because he sighs a little from beside her and soothes a hand down her back. "It's alright Pen, I know Colin wanted you to keep it to yourself for now but the cat is out of the bag so to speak. Best just get it over with, I'm sure Anthony will be perturbed by it all but he won't reject you over this if that is what has you so worried."

She looks at Benedict and leans into his touch, for all the jokes this man may have up his sleeve, he can be rather comforting when he wanted to be. He leans down and presses a kiss to her before standing, he flicks the water off his hand and uses a towel to wipe the excess away.

"I'm going to send Anthony in now for the last bit of this Penny," he said, stretching out his limbs "do tell brother dearest, I will deal with any issues he may have, Colin and I will be more then capable of handling him."

He leaves and she's left sitting there, shivering a little as the water cools. There's a knock at the door and a moment later Anthony is poking his head in, he has a gentle look on his face that she takes in as he comes in, he's carrying some more heated water in a bucket, and she's grateful to see it.

"Penelope," he says crouching beside her "are you ready for this part?" she blinks at him a little stupidly and he tsks, dipping a hand into her water. He pours some of the heated water into her bath and she sighs a little.

"Which part?" she asks and he looks up from where he is fiddling with a pouch.

"The part where I get to present you with a gift" he says in answer, she is just as confused as when he first said something and frowns at him. "Here" he pulls out what had been in the pouch and in his hand is a necklace, there's several charms a long it and he fixes it around her neck when she dips her head. "We had this custom made for you Penelope, a charm for each of us." She picks up one of the charms and rubs her thumb over it, taking in the tiny details the metal is moulded into, It's so pretty, and far more than she deserves. She hesitates, because she knows despite what both of the younger brothers of their pack had said, Anthony was another beast all together. Of course Colin was always going to be upset, no matter how she validated her actions, but Anthony was protective over the younger Alpha. Anthony was protective over all of his siblings, even if he played it off as Viscount and head of the family obligations. She knew deep down that Anthony would not take kindly to her decision, no matter how much she tried to justify it to herself.

Her lip trembles a little and she bites it. Anthony is looking at her expectantly, a questioning look on his face and she can't help the rush of anxiety in her chest at the thought of disappointing him.

"Penelope?" he asks and she heaves in a breath.

"I-" she begins, looking up at the tall ceiling, he gently grasps her chin and moves her face toward him, a concerned look on his face. He presses a hand to her forehead and hums to himself before he tilts her head just a little so he can push her lip up and look at her Omega canines.

"Not long now Penelope" he says "I know this is overwhelming but we are here to see you through this and support you. We will take care of you Omega, it is our honour to do so." She opens her mouth to reply but he presses his finger to her mouth to shush her. "We need to finish off the purification bath so we can do the blessings."

He dips a hand into a pocket and removes another pouch, he upends it into her bath and swirls his hand through it to mix it into her bath water a little. There are rose petals mixed in with the salts and they float on the water almost dreamily. He stands and brushes his hand down his leg before leaning down and kissing her protests silent. He stands again and pivots on his foot before marching out of the room.

Penelope looks to the ceiling again and curses loudly.

She goes to stand but her nightgown pulls her down into the water again with how heavily it clings to her and she huffs in indignation before untying the closures and angrily stripping it from her body. She rubs the water over her body, the scent of the water almost cloying now that the last pouch had been added. It makes her head swim and she sluices the water over her heated glands, and groans when it doesn't actually help. She presses a hand to her forehead and she can feel what Anthony felt now, she was burning up, and it went beyond any heat she may have felt from her bath.

Tilly comes in moments later, a fluffy towel folded over her arm, she unfurls the towel, holding it out to wrap around Penelope as she stands. Penelope gratefully takes it, wrapping it around herself as she holds out a hand for Tilly to take to help support her stepping out of the tub. Tilly helps her out and sets about sorting out what they needed in order to get Penelope ready for the blessings once she is sure Penelope is stable. Penelope takes the time to dry herself down, limbs a little wobbly as a wave of heat washes over her.

Once she is dried Tilly helps her into the bonding ceremony robes. She uses the term "robes" loosely because once the shapeless garment is on she snorts a little at the sight of herself swimming in the light book muslin of the cloth.

Tilly holds a braided sash in her hands and she wraps and weaves it around Penelope until the shapeless garment resembles a pretty grecian in style dress. There are slits all the way up the thighs and it hangs low in front, showing off Penelope's ample cleavage. Tilly forces her into a seat and brushes her hair out, making sure the curls of it sit nicely. She braids babies breath and epimedium into Penelope's hair, making a half crown on her head. The rest of her hair tumbles down her back in unbound curls. Tilly stands back a little to admire her work and winks at Penelope.

"Right my lady, it's time to wrap the blindfold on you" Tilly says, nodding at a length of silk and Penelope swallows a little at the sight of it, she had forgotten about this part of it.

Tilly picks up the silk and steps up behind Penelope to tie it around her eyes, and the last thing Penelope sees is herself staring back at her from the mirror, her eyes a little glassy and her cheeks and lips pink from her heat. She looks almost as pretty as her alphas make her feel. Tilly helps her stand, and they shuffle from the room in a slow progression. It feels like an age before she finds herself before the bonding room, her bare feet cold from the stone of the floor. She shifts nervously from foot to foot, and a door opens. A voice she couldn't place speaks in latin for a few lilting verses, touching oil to her forehead and shoulders before the air shifts and she is pressed forward by a gentle hand to her back. She steps into the room, balancing herself with a hand to the door she toes the space before her only to find she has to step down into the room. She steps down and once a few steps forward yield nothing but a flat surface the door closes behind her with a resolute "thump."

She can feel her heart beating through her chest, there is no noise in the room beyond the snap of a fire somewhere. She lifts her head to the air and breathes in, there's a mix of all of her Alpha's scents in the room. The first scent that's really strong in the air is Colin's caramel, rum and spice and it flows over her tongue like nectar. She touches her tongue to the roof of her mouth to taste it and groans as her mouth floods. The Omega in her preens, cocking its head, purring in delight at the thought of biting him and tasting straight from the source. It feels like there is a heartbeat in her glands as she reaches her hands forward as she begins to take a stumbling step towards the tantalising scent. Her leg catches on what feels like a bench of some kind and she steps around it, trailing a hand over the wooden frame of it. Eventually the wooden frame is no more and she reaches out until her fingers graze the taught stomach of one of her alphas. The muscle beneath her touch jumps a little as she presses her palm to the trail of hair leading down to his cock. He curses a little under his breath as she trails her hand up his stomach to his chest and then eventually to the back of his neck. She's not sure if she pulls him forward first or if he simply swoops in but his lips press against her and she knows without a doubt that this is Colin kissing her. His kiss is pressing and rough, almost punishing in nature as he bites at her bottom lip and draws it into his mouth. She pants, breathing in his scent and he pushes aside the fabric of her dress to press a hand between her thighs. She spreads her legs a little and she feels his fingers massage one of her scent glands on her thigh and she moans into the touch. And then, all too soon, he is gone. She whimpers at the loss of him, but knows this means he has marked where he intends on placing his bonding bite. Right between her legs, and really it suits him for how often he spends with his head between her thighs.

Her head snaps to the side when the honey and pine smoke of Benedict's scent become all that she wanted. She lets the scent of him fill her mouth, tasting at it to decipher the last little factor of his scent she had yet to put a finger on. It tastes floral and not too dissimilar from the pine smoke. It reminds her of summer and fields of purple, she thinks about crushing it between her fingertips and bringing it to her nose to breathe in the aroma and after a moment it occurs to her that the elusive base notes of his scent is lavender.

She steps toward his scent more confidently then she had Colin's and when her fingers find his bare arms he lets out a low chuckle, pulling her toward him. He runs his nose along her throat and purrs as he breathes in her scent. She shivers in his arms and he hums as he trails a hand up to one of her pulsing glands. He massages it with his fingertips and she moans at the feel of it. He tilts her head up to his so he can lean down and kiss her. He luxuriates in the kiss, sipping at her lips before, abruptly, he too is gone.

She spins a little in a circle, trying to find Anthony's scent and it's a panic inducing five minutes before she picks it up, she steps toward his blackberry scent, the juiciness of it making her mouth water. The cedar heart note and the musk of his base note making her think of the forest and thorny blackberry bushes, reach a hand into one and you risked being stuck by the thorns but the reward of the berry made it worth it. She steps around the bench again, on the other side of it now, one hand using the frame of it to help guide her forward.

Penelope worries a little more at the elusiveness of Anthony, reaching out fingertips she finds the stone of the wall and traces her fingers along that now, curtains brush her fingers next and the cold pane of glass, her breathing speeds up a little as her worry skyrockets.

Where was he?

She stops now, taking a moment to steady her breathing and regroup. She tilts her head to the air again and breathes in deeply. She can taste him so potently, it's almost as if he is- She spins around and reaches out and sighs in relief when her fingertips find him. He's a little stiff under her touch, and she steps toward him, soothing a hand up his arm. He grips her hand to still it and reaches up to massage the gland on the opposite to where Benedict had placed his marking on her. Her knees weaken under his ministrations and he leans forward and captures her mouth in a biting kiss, she hisses into it, and gives as good as she gets before he grips her hair and pulls her back from the kiss. He leans his forehead against hers and breathes heavily before teasing kisses along her jaw until he nips at her earlobe.

"I caught you," he hisses out in a a heated whisper "Lady Whistledown."

Notes:

Sorry about how long this has taken pals, I am legit inundated with assessments at the moment.

:'D

'Go back to schooling' they said, not a single one of dyslexic. HAH.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy~~~~ Dw, this is probs the first and only cliffhanger of this nature you will get out of me.

Chapter 5

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

-Earlier-

Colin fists his hands together as he stalks from the Omega suites, shoulder checking Ben on the way out. He knows it's likely his brother had at least heard some of that, but it was something that could wait because right in that moment his heart thudded in his chest in such a way it shook him. He bursts through the doors leading to one of the balconies and sucks in his breaths harshly, chest constricting. Had he even known Penelope at all?

He thinks back on all the letters that passed between them, the small encouragements, the admonishments when he talked down on himself- had this been a lie?

The door opens behind him and he ignores it until Benedict claps a hand down on his shoulder, tugging him in to a half hug.

"Breathe dear brother" Ben said, looking up at the sky, allowing him the courtesy of pulling himself together without being gawked at. Once his breathing had evened he leans forward and rests his hands on the railing of the balcony, looking out over the grounds. "Now," Ben says looking over at him, patting him on the shoulder again before drawing away so he can lean back onto the railing and look Colin in the face. "What's going through your head right now Col?" he asks.

Colin scoffs bitterly.

"Everything?" he asks in lieu of a real answer and Ben raises his eyebrows just so and he sighs "I feel betrayed" he after a moment of chewing on his thoughts. "I feel as though the Penelope I knew is a farce, a lie she told me to get close to me."

Benedict hums in answer, allowing himself a moment to gather a response.

"Understandable feelings" Benedict said, nodding sagely "I believe out of any of us you have the most right to be upset over this revelation" his brother pauses, ducking his head a little to look Colin in his eyes "and I am not here to invalidate these feelings Col, far be it for me to dictate how you take this but I want you to really think about this for a moment, what exactly is that you feel has been false?"

Colin rolls the question over in his mind, he thinks of the way he looked up at her and talked to him about purpose, he thinks over the letters shared between them encouraging him in his endeavours. She had been so encouraging and kind, always so kind. Then he thinks of the things she has said in her columns, the cattiness- The disrespect for people's privacy. How could someone so kind have said such horrid things? The things she had written about her own family had been ruining. The way she talked about herself. The way she talked about herself.

He thinks of all the snide little remarks, the cruel snipes, the disparaging comments on her looks. Was it a ruse to turn people away from her scent or did she truly think of herself in this way?

"What do you think about it all?" Colin questions Benedict and his brother lets out a happy little hum.

"Personally? I think it's brilliant" Benedict said with a grin "She's been doing this since she was, what? All of Eight and ten? can you imagine the guts on our girl to have done all that while being a beta dealing with the ton looking down on her presence?" Ben rolls his head to the side to give Colin a pointed look "It's truly remarkable Col, and I have never been prouder."

Colin spins around and leans back on the railing in the same stance as Benedict. He crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head back to look at the great expanse of stars stretched out above him. He realises that in the revelation he feels very small. He is starkly reminded that he had spent so long overseas searching high and low for his purpose he had missed so much around him. Would he have figured it out sooner if he had paid particular attention to her? If he went over the letters she sent to him in reply would he recognise Lady Whistledown amongst the words? He remembers the quip she made about Lady Trowbridge's sons resemblance to the footman. Lady Whistledown had always been there, he just hadn't paid attention. It's like he was finally seeing her in the light she deserved. Full and bright, exposing everything about her good and bad. Wasn't that how we should see the ones we loved?

And he does love her.

It's another revelation he has to contend himself with, because hadn't he been falling for her slowly since they become friends? He had been afraid to acknowledge it before, Penelope was Eloise's friend and she was very much a beta at the time, some packs invited betas if the pack strands were strong enough. He had sensed the strands between them, but neither Anthony nor Ben had mentioned them so he had not brought it up either.

"I think," he says after a moment "this is something we can get through, it is something I can wrap my head around. I am angry but I-" he swallows as he thinks about how she must be getting her columns out- How did she do it? Did she have somebody who handled it for her? No, that would have meant money which was something she only had in pin money which if he remembered from some of what Eloise had said to him about her family situation, wasn't enough to have been using somebody to liaison with printers for her. Which only really leaves her. Even the thought of her stepping foot in the less than fortunate parts of London in order to get her gossip sheets printed has him horrified. Anything could have happened to her. "I am so angry, she has put herself in danger Benedict- What if something had happened to her?" He runs angry hands through his hair and starts pacing. "I cannot think of any other way she might have managed to do it- I have run it over in my head and all I can come to conclusion of is that she has been traipsing about London unaccompanied. She could have been hurt! Sh- She could have been compromised."

He looks at Benedict again, his older brother has his arms crossed over his chest, looking at him with his head cocked.

"Colin," Benedict says a little gently for him and it raises Colin's heckles immediately "I am sure all of this has occurred to her over her time as Lady Whistledown, she has been doing this for what, near three years now? Col, not for nothing but our Pen is a clever one. Is it ideal?" Benedict snorts at this "Absolutely not and we will be talking to her about her safety, but I think for now it is best you go and make sure she knows you're not abandoning her, that you will bond her." Colin's lips press together as he nods at that, mind already on her in that bath all alone, she must feel abandoned. He didn't want that but he had also needed to breathe. Benedict claps a hand on his shoulder at his nod. "Good lad, now off you go."

Colin goes to step away but pauses, looking back at Benedict "Don't tell her you know, last thing I want is for Anthony to think he was the last to know." Benedict did that half shrug thing he does and Colin takes it as assent to his plea. Anthony would take it even worse if he was the last to know of this development.

Though, regardless of his feelings on the topic.. It does indeed come out.

Anthony is pragmatic man, he though prone to his own fancies, runs a tight ship. He, as a rule, does not like surprises. He's leaving Penelope to her bath when he comes across his brothers hissing at each other secretively, he frowns, brow drawn down as he stops to listen a moment.

"Rather late to not let Ant know Colin" Benedict says sarcastically "you know, I know, and if Penelope is taking my advice she is telling him right now." Anthony frowns, hands clenching at his sides.

"He can know *after* the ritual, I fully intend on sitting everyone down for the discussion- Look, I get where you are coming from Ben, truly I do but the fact that Penelope is Lady Whistledown isn't going to simply rock the boat, it will capsize it completely. I am still wrapping my head around the fact, and I believe I will forgive her in time, but Anthony?" Colin sighed "It may tip him into severing the bond."

Anthony takes a breath, it hitches in his throat and he presses a hand to his heart. Colin was wrong on one point, he would not sever the bond, it was all far too late for that. He would not leave their destined Omega needing, no matter how angry he currently was. And by gods was he *angry, the rage that courses through him is astronomical. The silly little chit could have gotten herself killed, Whistledown had been drawing the ire of the Queen for as long as she had been about. She had also been drawing his ire. So much made sense now, the pulling away from them, the way she had been hinting at a secret that she couldn't tell him. He felt a fool, and being a fool was not something Anthony dealt with well, and he intends to swat that biteable arse of hers. He heaves a sigh and steps into sight of his brothers, he simply nods at them and they break away from one another to take up his either side. They don't question on him having possibly heard anything, and he doesn't say anything to them in turn. They come upon the bonding chambers, each as tense as the other. They strip their shirts off, and stand by the bench in the middle of the room, it is long and has cushioning for the initial claiming, and once they have sunk their teeth into the part of their Omega they press their hands too, they carry her to the Omega's suite and see her through her heat. They are each anointed with the ceremonial oils, the priest presses his thumb to their forehead and to the tips of their shoulders and then they come to the basin to cover their hands in the marking powder so they can mark where they intend to give her their bonding bite. They wait in a tense silence for her to be presented to them as the priest walks about the room swinging the thurible, blessing their bonding. It fills the room with a smokey herbal scent that tickles at his nose and has him tracking the priest about the room. The man hangs the thurible from an ornate hook and when a quiet knock sounds on the door and he straightens as the priest opens it and presses the blessing oils to their Omega's skin, and oh he wants to rip the fingers from the man at the sight of it. Her scent is blooming in her pre-heat and he grits his teeth against it, steels himself for the next part of the ceremony. The priest steps aside and he has to blink at the sight of her. She's ethereal.

Her hair has a pretty braid adorned by little white flowers of varying types. A sheen of sweat from her fever makes her look like she's glowing in the low crackle of fire light, the orange glow of it highlighting the red of her hair. Her mouth is utterly pouty beneath her pert little nose and he bites the inside of his cheek as he traces the blush from her cheeks to her chest on display for them. Her dress is split all the way up to the crease where her thighs meet the gentle swell of her stomach, and as she shifts on her feet the dress clings and shifts about her body in ways that make him *weak*. She is exquisite. He only wished he could see those dazzlingly blue eyes of hers. He watches keenly as she takes a halting step forward, hands outstretched. She gains confidence with each step as she lifts that little nose of hers into the air and delicately sniffs. Her head turns toward to Colin and he has to stifle a smile. Colin looks just as dazzled by her as he feels. She reaches his brother and Colin kisses her roughly, all lips and teeth before his hand finds the gland between her thighs and massages it, rubbing the marking powder into the skin there as she lets out a little moan of pleasure. He steps away from her and she stands dizzily a moment before she chases after Ben next. Ben is gentler, but no less passionate in his kiss of her, rubbing his mark into one side of her throat. She turns toward him now and he can't help the urge to play with her a little that comes over him. He quietly steps away from her and circles around her until he is following behind her. She traces fingers over the bonding bench, fingers curious before she can no longer rely upon it to guide her. She deliberates her next moves wandering a little aimlessly about the room as he follows her behind he can tell that she knows he's close by, but she can't put a finger on it until she scents the air again and spins to face him. He stiffens when her hands find him and she runs a soothing hand up his arm. He catches her hand to still it and reached out to massage his mark into the gland opposite to Ben's. He kisses her, biting at her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth until she is a mess in his hands. He licks into her mouth, tongue tracing her mouth, and, in truth, fucking it.

He grips her hair and pulls her back from the kiss by it before nipping at her ear and delivering the next words with a faint scowl on his face.

"I caught you Lady Whistledown."

She feels sick as the words echo in her head. They all knew now, her big secret. Her ruinous secret.

She hadn't gotten the chance to tell him earlier, and she wonders briefly who, if either of the boys, had told him. She feels a little hurt that they hadn't given her even the hint of a warning at Anthony knowing.

She goes to open her mouth to say something but he bites at her bottom lip again.

"No," he warns "we need to complete the ceremony."

Part of her loosens in relief at that.

She is guided to the bench she had found earlier, the backs of her knees hitting a cushioned part of it. She is laid out on it by her Alpha, it is mildly uncomfortable and her arms are stretched out and one of the other brothers fusses with some silky rope which he places in her hands one side at a time.

"Given your history, little Kitty, I'm not going to be trussing you to the bench like custom dictates" Ben says from her side, "But I do suggest you hold on for dear life because the bonding will be intense." At that her fingers tighten around the rope. He's right not to tie her up, but she thinks, shifting her thighs against one another- That this is something they can revisit when it doesn't starkly remind her of the aching loneliness and helplessness she felt during her first heat.

Fingers slip beneath her dress, moving the fabric out of the way, she assumes its Colin, his hands have roughened spots from holding the reigns during long hours of horse riding across the country. She's sure he wore gloves like any gentleman would, but with his travelling pressure must have taken its toll. Ben's hands have calluses from holding his paint brushes and Anthony has scars from what seems to have been busted knuckles at one point. No doubt roughhousing with Mondrich back when the man was beating both him and the Duke into submission. Anthony, for all his pomp did like to deliver a good punch when the situation called for it.

Both Alpha's take to either side of her neck, she can feel the heat of them there as they await for something she can't see.

Colin's fingers knead at the scent gland between her thighs and she sighs at the feel of it, she melts into his touch and there's a bloom of her scent in the air that hadn't been there before. Something headier than it usually is, the strawberries ripe and plump, the lilacs open and turned lazily toward the sun and the rosemary fragrant.

"There you go Pen" Colin says a little breathlessly "that's it sweet girl," her slick trickles down her thigh and she aches for them. She gulps down their scents, each just as delicious on her tongue as the next. "That's my good girl" he says, a little growl to his voice now.

He delves between her legs, kissing up to the scent gland before licking over the spot. She cants her hips upwards with a moan but he holds her down, banding his strong arm over her hips. He licks the slick up from her thigh, cleaning up her mess and hands hold her down, bracing her against the bench gently but firmly when he strikes. His teeth sink into her and she shouts at the biting pain of it. Someone is crooning something to her softly but she can't hear it through the shock to her system. Something alights within her, a golden strand all Colin lighting up in her mind and just as soon as the pain begun pleasure cascades it away. She struggles a little in her alpha's holds, wanting more more more but not receiving it as Colin laves his tongue over the mating mark.

"Shh now kitten, it's alright, Col is just nursing it now, making sure it heals" Ben says softly, brushing some hair from her face as she groans at the discomfort of being so very, very empty. "And then it's my turn to mark you" he says, and her heart rate picks up faster now at the thoughts of going through that two more times. She feels lucky that she is not a part of a pack five Alpha deep like some Omegas are.

She's not sure she could handle the emptiness she feels through four more mating bites.

Colin hums and pulls back slightly he strokes fingers into her slick pussy and she pants at the feel of his long fingers caressing her there.

"Shall I eat this pretty little cunt while my brother's mark you Pen?" he asks lazily, almost casual and she keens at the idea of his mouth upon her. There's a low chuckle from Anthony and her face tilts towards where it came from. She wishes she could see them, read the looks on their faces. "Do you think she deserves it brothers?" Colin asks huskily, breath teasing at her weeping pussy.

"Are you going to be a good little kitty and beg for it?" Ben asks, his thumb making a slow, possessive circle on the scent gland on her neck he intends to bite.

"Yes," she says, voice high and reedy in her wanting "please alpha" she pleads "please, I need it, I need it so ba-"

"Tsk," Anthony interrupts, hand making its way possessively around her neck to cuff her "what is it Penelope?" he asks brusquely and she whines "use your words Omega."

"I- I" she says and he squeezes warningly.

"Yes?" he asks, as Colin gently spreads her pussy lips, exposing her need to everyone.

"I need C-Colin to eat my pussy" she says breath hitching and Colin circles her entrance with a finger lightly making her draw her legs up "while Ben marks me" she finishes off through a sob and at a slight movement from Anthony, Colin flicks his tongue out to taste her. At her moan he tucks into her, licking and sucking at her indulgently, like he is eating a fine meal. She jolts when Ben's lips find the pulsing scent gland primed and ready for his bite. Anthony lets go and presses against his side of her neck, not enough pressure for what she needs but just enough to tease at her. Pleasure lulls her into a false sense of security until Ben's teeth press into her sharply. Again, there is a connection within her that she can't name yet, something all Ben now lit up next to the strand that is all Colin in her mind. A connection between them. She doesn't realise she's coming until it hits her like a tsunami, Colin sucks down her slick like its ambrosia, face no doubt messy and wet from her release. He doesn't ease up as Ben nurses her new bonding mark and she lets out a whine as it becomes too much on top of Ben sucking on the mating bite. Anthony is next, she feels the presence of his gaze on her and arches her back for him enticingly, head falling to the side to present her scent gland for his bite. He shifts forward and grazes her gland with his teeth, and she feels tears leak from her eyes when Colin takes it all as an invitation to fuck his long fingers into her. Anthony sucks at her gland and she squirms under their attention, so utterly at their mercy.

"Beg me" Anthony says, his voice a rumble, half purr as he drinks down her scent "beg me for my mark Omega, you don't get to come again until my teeth are buried in you." She can feel tears dampening the silk tied around her eyes and she cries out when Colin curls his fingers up and presses against that spot inside her that melts her into a puddle of pleasure.

"Anthony!" she calls out, "Alpha! Please, I need you, I need your bite, I need your mar-" her voice is cut off when he sinks his teeth into her turns into a scream.The snapping of their connection coupled with Colin curling his fingers up into her and sucking her clit into his mouth explodes her senses out nebulously. Her vision whites and she sobs out their names as she shudders through the intensity of her orgasm. Anthony nurses on his bite and she stares sightlessly upward, eyes still covered by the silk, little pinpricks of light shining through it winking like stars. Anthony's strand ties them all together harmoniously, instead of three individual strands they weave throughout each other into a rope of pulsing gold. There's a hum of sound in her mind, and it takes her a moment to realise its them. Her Alphas are there and its stunning to behold. Why are they not taught about this? Is it so sacred beta aren't privileged to the information?

There's so much about Alpha/Omega dynamics that just aren't taught to betas, she can understand some of it, but would it not bridge the gap between the three dynamics to have a level of understanding about the connections made?

Some packs found pack strands with betas, though it is rare, and usually these betas have an Alpha parent.

She touches the strand in her minds eye and it flares, and a thrum of comfort is sent down it from all three Alpha, she sighs happily. Someone helps her sit up, and the silk is untied from her eyes. She blinks the stars from her eyes and glances around herself at the three men, drinking in their appearances. They're all shirtless, oil glistening on their forehead and shoulders, fingers red from the marking powder. She looks down and her skin is marked by the marking powder, faint fingerprints cupping her thighs where Colin held her as he ate her. She's sure her neck is a mess of the bright red powder too, she gingerly touches the marks on her neck before moving to the one between her thighs, shuddering at the bolt of pleasure that surges through her every time her fingers touch the tender flesh.

Colin, seemingly the better suited for the job swoops down and picks her up before throwing her over his shoulder. She lets out a little "umph" at the impact of his shoulder against her gut and groans as the blood rushes to her head. Benedict makes an interested noise before his hand caresses the crease of where her bum meets the back of her thigh, cupping at the roundness there with a groan.

"Think after her heat she'll be ready for your hand to mark that arse of hers up Ant?" he asks over Colin's shoulder at his brother and she peers over at Anthony, who regards her with a dark glint in his eye.

"Absolutely" he said, and Colin hummed happily before starting to trot from the chambers back to her Omega suite. She can feel her pre-heat working through her and she can't help the shiver as she feels a strong sense of need within her to do something. She can't really explain it, but a feeling in her gut makes it clear that the Omega suite isn't right, its terribly wrong and she needs to fix it. She fidgets as she bounces of Colin's shoulder and they must feel her worry down the bond because he hurries to the rooms fast as he can manage while still keeping her relatively comfortable.

Anthony opens the door to her rooms and she is gently set upon the large bed recessed in the floor. She flops back onto it, gazing up at the gauzy curtains hanging from a hook in the ceiling, creating a cave like space for her bed. She huffs out a breath and turns onto her hands and knees, tugging decorative cushions and blankets this way and that in agitation. Her Alpha's observe her for a moment, before looking at each other in a way that shows they know exactly why she feels this way. She growls under her breath and glares at them.

"Is there anything we can get you?" Colin asks finally, voice gentled. She melts a little at the concern in his green eyes

"I need" she begins but stops and looks around her bed, unsure and feeling a little adrift in the onslaught of feeling that she can't put a word to.

"Sweetheart, you're nesting" he says, "were you able to nest at least when you had your first heat?" he asks, gently gently with his tone of voice and body language.

"No," she croaks and he sighs sadly "I don't even know what nesting is."

Anthony hisses in anger, swearing a little, calling her mother names under his breath. Colin throws a quelling look over his shoulder at his brother and Anthony audibly takes a deep breath and turns away to rub at his forehead. Colin, satisfied his brother is suitably chastened looks back at her, crouching on the floor beside the bed.

"Pen, part of the Omega's nature during a heat is to hide and make a place safe for their heat. They tend to gather comfortable things for their nest, and things that makes them feel at ease- And when the time comes they use those items to build a nest. I'm not sure you've realised it but you have been stealing some of our shirts when we leave them in the room for a week now." He looks around the room, eyebrows drawn together in confusion "I'm not entirely sure where your stash is but if you can think back on where you may have put it, we can get them for you so you can make your nest."

She hadn't done that- Had she? She closes her eyes and thinks about it for a moment, tracing her steps. And oh, she had. She hadn't been doing it on purpose, not really, but now she knew what it was she knew that she had been.

She opens her eyes and nods at one of the trunks that line the wall, empty mostly but for the stray nicknacks that had been stored in them. One in particular was a large oak chest, the lid heavy and creaky but suitable for her needs. Benedict strode toward it before lifting the lid which creaked loudly. He starts pulling things from it, three of each of their shirts, a goose down duvet, and more blankets than she could count.

He brings over her loot, and she blushes a little at the thought of having stashed away all those items without even a thought. She had even stolen the duvet from one of the guest beds without a single thought as she dragged it through the house. The Servants must have been all a titter over it, she wouldn't be surprised if they had seen her struggling with it only to let her pass them by. Not that she could blame them for it.

She sighs happily as she takes the items and begins making her nest. Instinct alone drives her, and she feels like she is at it for ages before she is satisfied. She curls up in the centre, dragging a blanket over her head, face peering out of it at them. Benedict and Colin smile at her and she grins back.

Anthony clear his throat, eyebrow raised in question.

"All done princess?" he asks her and she nods, wide eyed as she watches them all, he clears his throat a little as she looks up at him. "May I enter your nest Omega?" he asks and she nods.

He takes a halting step into her nest, slow and careful as he watches her intently. She grumbles a little when he accidentally knocks over a small part of the wall of her nest and he grimaces in return. "Sorry Omega" he says soothingly "do you want me to fix it or do you want to fix it?" she considers him for a moment, stomach tied up in knots before she crawls over to the wall of her nest and fixes the mess he made of it. He settles near where she had been and Ben asks her for permission to come in. She grants him access too and when its Colin's turn to ask she simply drags him in by the leg of his pants. He comes willingly, leaning over one side of her nest to nab a jug of water to pour her a glass of it. She takes it gratefully, mouth dry as she takes in the site of them all crowded in her nest. Her sharp canines are, as ever, a clumsy addition to her mouth and she accidentally bites through her bottom lip with one. She licks the tangy blood from her lip and worries at the sore. Anthony gently thumbs her lip from the pull of her teeth and she ducks her head a little shyly now that they are simply in the waiting stage of her heat. The transition to come has her feeling anxious, thoughts starkly on the first time she had gone through it, alone and frightened.

Colin is the one who seems to come to some sort of decision when he crawls over to where she is folded in on herself and drags her small form into his arms. He cuddles her to him and purrs until she is unwound from the tight ball she had gotten herself into. She is lulled to sleep against him by it, the evening having been quite arduous. When Penelope awakens later she is so hot she's afraid she's going to faint under the weight of the heat. Her insides cramp and she whines, high and panicked. A hand soothes over her back and its like a balm to the heat, the rich smell of caramel and spiced rum makes her eyes roll back into her head. She shifts her hips against the solid leg between hers, her dress is caught around her legs and the friction she is after.

"Shh Pen, I've got you" Colin murmurs, hiking one of her legs up and over his hip. His hands find the sash that ties her dress into the form hugging shape and pulls it loose. It uncurls from around her waist and he sifts so she is now on top of him, hands come from behind her and she can tell by the smell of the body pressing up against her that its Anthony. They methodically strip her of the fabric until she is bared to them, Anthony presses kisses to her throat as Colin kneads at her breasts. A third set of hands finds the wet heat between her legs and she cries out, rocking into the hand pressing, heel of the palm to her clit as fingers push into her. It's nowhere near enough, but as Benedict scissors his fingers within her it takes some of the empty pain away.

Someone curses softly as slick drips from her, and Benedict removes his fingers from her long enough for Colin to press firmly into her. She sighs as he fills her, his long cock allowing some of that emptiness to ease. They all know what she needs the most is a knot, but just having him inside her is as he finds his feet and fucks up into her helps. Ben's fingers, coated in her slick finds the pucker of her arse and she gasps as he sinks a finger into her.

"Oh Kitten" Benedict says, voice a husk "you're made to take an entire pack during your heat" he fucks his finger in and out of her in tandem with Colin's thrusts and she groans when he slowly adds another finger and scissors her open "which means you're meant to take us here as well- Did you know that?" he asks, and she shakes her head "no? Oh Kitty, you're in for a treat." He leans in to her, lips touching her ear as he adds another finger "I'm going to take so much joy in sinking into this tight little hole- Do you think you can take two of us at once sweetness?" he asks.

And oh, oh gods the thought of it has her head spiralling. She gasps when he adds a fourth finger, shuddering as he licks at the mark he made on her neck.

"I want it" she says, gasping as he pulls his fingers from her and smiles at her lovingly.

"We'll take it slow sweet girl, and if you don't like it we can stop at anytime" he says before nudging Colin with his knee. Colin withdraws from her too and she grits her teeth at the loss of him. Ben takes his place, pushing her down until she is chest to chest with Colin, arse in the air as he fucks into her pussy with fast, hard thrusts. She gasps and groans as he does so and when he pulls out from her she moans in disappointment, which earns her a low, filthy chuckle.

"Don't worry Kitten" he says "I was just getting my cock all nice and wet with your slick so I could fuck that beautiful arse of yours."

Her breath is stolen from her when he pushes into her arse slowly, and there's a bit of a pinch from the stretch but it isn't unbearable, he had made sure she was loose enough for this. She, a little impatient with him pushes back and he grunts as she takes him down to the root of his thick cock.

"Col," he groans, stilling, waiting for something. And then, Colin is pressing back into her pussy and he rubs his thumb over her clit until she is pulsing out a fast orgasm with a cry. She is all loose limbed between them, brain mush from the feeling of fullness. Ben starts pumping his hips slowly, and he and Colin start working in and out of her, one after the other to not overwhelm her too much. Her head lolls to the side and she watches an enraptured Anthony pump his fist up and down his length, taking in the sight of her. She feels wanton, utterly broken by the pleasure of them both filling her. Colin's knot is bumping up against her pussy and she grinds down on it as well as she can between the brothers. He gasps and she looks down at him. He's half lidded and pink cheeked, and he grins at her blindingly bright when he notices she's looking at him before he pulls her into a kiss.

His knot half presses into her and she cries out against his mouth and he moans into her.

She's so full, too full. She feels like she's going to split in two when Benedict pushes her down onto Colin's knot, causing her to sob against the pulse of Colin's come filling her up, she leans into his neck and bites down, solidifying the bond between them even more. Ben's knot is bumping up against her arse as he fucks into her and he shouts something unintelligible when she squeezes down onto their cocks, forcing his orgasm out of him. He latches onto the bonding mark he bit into her neck and sucks on it as she laps at the bonding bite she made on Colin's neck. He shudders under her ministrations, squeezing her hips as she squeezes another pulse of come from him.

She nestles under his chin contentedly, her head clear for the first time since she had entered those bonding chambers. Benedict pulls free from the vice grip of her arse and cleans up the spill of his come with a warm cloth before collapsing next to them both. Anthony helps her sit up a little so she can sip at some more water, her head fuzzy. The knot tying her to Colin was thick, a lot thicker than the soft knot they had been filling her with since she started having sex with them. She truly hadn't been prepared for just how much her body could take, she is fed slices of apples as she recovers, and when Colin's knot releases he rolls her onto her back so he could clean her up with his tongue, sucking onto his bonding mark until she comes again and he works his way up her body to press his lips to hers and spill the come he had gathered on his tongue into her mouth.

It tasted of them both, caramel, spiced rum and juicy summer strawberries almost like a decadent desert in her mouth. She swallows it down diligently, licking the remnants of it from her lips. She lounges for a while, pressed between Benedict and Colin before her insides cramp and have her curling in on herself again.

Anthony crouches by her legs, sliding his hands up them so he can spread her open for him. His touch loosens her stiff muscles up and she gladly accepts him between her legs. He pulls her until her lower half is splayed out over his lap. His thumb runs over her clit in soothing circles that do anything but soothe her. It feels like fire in her veins every time he does it and her back bows as she pants.

"That's it" he says, "that's it Omega, show me how much you want your alpha." She wraps her legs around his lower back and he grips one of her thighs as he uses his other hand to rub his cock between the lips of her sex. She's dripping on him, wetting him enough that when he slips into her there's no resistance. Colin is long, but gods Anthony is thick.

She cries out at the feeling of him, and he sets an almost hypnotic pace, surging into her slow but knocking the breath from her every time he hits home. She shifts her hips trying to urge him faster but he tsks at her and slows to a stop, watching her through narrowed eyes when she glares up at him.

"Faster" she says and he smirks down at her resuming his slow pace, she hisses a little before pushing up onto her elbows "Alpha" she says in an almost bark which he chuckles at "I need more"

She growls and plants her feet before rocking herself up and down his length at the pace she wants, he cocks his head to the side and watches her with heavy lids, hands clutching at the swell of her hips.

"You are unbelievable sometimes Penelope" he says lowly before crowding her and kissing her ferociously, it takes her a minute to realise he's pulled out of her, and another to realise he's manhandling her onto her stomach, she lets out an "uhf" as he pushes back into her. She kicks a leg out struggling a little as he leans his weight onto her back but when he fucks her hard and fast into her nest she bucks back into his thrusts with a moan.

"Is this what you wanted little mate?" he asks, delivering a swat to a cheek of her arse before gripping her loose hair into his hand and pulling just enough that her head tilts up. He cuffs a hand around her neck, nuzzling at the curve of her ear. "Princess, you're a fucking menace" he says with the hint of laughter in his voice "you vex me, all I wanted to do was take it slow and enjoy the slick slide of your tight little cunt on my cock, but you demanded more from me, didn't you?" he pauses a moment and when she doesn't answer he squeezes her neck a little "Didn't you?" he asks again and she groans at the feel of his hand around her throat, the press of his fingers into his and Benedict's mating bites.

"Yes Alpha" she sobs out, "needed it."

"Yes you did need it, didn't you Omega? Needy little thing that you are" his words are a little mocking but there's a hint of something almost fond under it. She can feel herself ready to come again, the clenching of her insides promising a big one. He growls a little behind her before pulling from out of her abruptly and she whines at the sudden loss of him. He feels so much bigger taking him from behind.

He rolls her back to her back and she looks dazedly up at him as he sheaths himself back into her just as quick as he left her.

"Don't want you to come on my cock when I can't see how that bliss looks on your face Penelope" he tells her when she looks at him questioning. He hikes one of her legs over his hip and looks down at her, running a hand up her body so he can tweak at her breasts. Her breath hitches as he rolls her nipple between his fingers, the delicious pain of it making her push her chest up into his touch. She wants to come so badly, her body shuddering as he sets a punishing pace again. He grinds his growing knot into her and her breath hisses out when he reaches between them and rolls her clit much like he did to her nipple, and its all it takes for her to arch her back and scream. He locks inside her, panting and laying kisses over her offered chest, and much like she had with Colin she latches onto his scent gland and punctures it with her fangs, groaning when the taste of him floods her mouth. She likes the burst of blackberries on her tongue as she licks at the patch of skin she bit into and nurses it. He floods her insides with his come and wraps his arms around her so he can roll them over until she is cradled to his chest. He sighs and kisses the top of her head contentedly. When his knot loosens she wiggles out of his grip and crawls to Benedict who is watching her approach on all fours. He grins wickedly at her and she grins back at him in turn.

"Your turn" she says, her speech is a little slurred like she's cock drunk and tipsy on all the heat pheromones her body is throwing out. He's all honey and pine smoke, lavender a pretty floral note tickling at her nose. She wants him, wants to solidify the last bond in her head until it is all she feels and sees when she closes her eyes at night. She wants to drown in them.

"Are you going to bite me with those cute little kitten teeth sweetling?' he asks her, and when she reaches him she crawls up his body where he lays cushioned amongst his shirt and the blanket with the soft velvet like texture that she liked to rub her face against. She leans over him and kisses his nose sweetly, and he playfully snaps his teeth in her direction before rolling her over, she lets out a squeal, which quickly turns into a moan when he ruts into her, he almost folds her in half as he fucks her, and the angle he finds has her eyes rolling back into her head. Part of her feels she should be upset with just how well he knows how to fuck her but truth be told the tumble in the hay he must have had with betas must have taught him just the way to make a woman come on just a cock alone because its a rapid descent into one with every grind of his pelvis against hers.

She braces her hands on her thighs, holding herself open to him and he lifts a breast to his mouth so he can suck her nipple into his mouth and do extraordinary things with that tongue of his. Lightning zings down her spine and she arches her back, head back in a howl of ecstasy when she comes around him, clenching and ready for his knot when he presses it into her with a growl. He lets her wrap her legs around him so he can lean into her kiss. She licks at his mouth, sucking on his bottom lip before finding the gland on his neck and bites down on it. Honey drips down her throat and she groans at the taste before licking at the mark she left on him. He hums, palming the back of her neck before massaging at the mark he'd left on her. "That's it kitten" he said, rocking into her with short, sharp thrusts, his knot pressing into her insides deliciously "All for you sweet one" he murmurs, pulses of his seed making an even bigger mess of her. She sighs a little, nuzzling into his neck as she drifts off into sleep again, the hum of her bonds an almost lullaby now that she was sated for the time being.

She awakes later with a hiss as Colin licks at his mark, and with a high, needy whine from her he eats her until she is delirious from the pleasure. He has her ride him until he knots her again and she shudders through another earth shattering orgasm. The pattern repeats over three days with each of her mates, she feels like she's never empty of them, they fill her again and again, appeasing the clawing, biting heat that eats at her until she is wrung out and exhausted. It's as they crest into the fourth morning that her heat abates, and reality starts to make sense to her again. Her Alphas are cuddled around her and she feels relatively clean considering what her days had consisted of previously. She assumes one of them had cleaned her down with a wet cloth or something so that she didn't wake up uncomfortable. Something she is grateful for, and she would put money on it that it was Colin who showed her that level of care and consideration.

Ben and Anthony showed their care in other ways and they likely would have done the same thing but Colin was s always going to think of those sort of needs first.

She extracts herself from them careful to not wake them, they were likely more exhausted than she was. She winces a little at the ache between her legs, but she feels considerably better than she had felt after her first heat. She didn't feel the aching loneliness that had troubled her stomach, her skin did not itch and she felt so very full of them all. Penelope knew without a doubt that there would likely be strife before it soothes between them all, her revelation as Lady Whistledown had shaken them all, whether the distance it put between them was permanent or not was up to debate.

She wraps a sheet around herself and pokes her head out of the room, Tilly just happens to be strolling down the corridor leading to her suite when she does and she wants to crow a little at the good luck of it. Her ladies maid stifles a laugh at the sight of her.

"My lady," Tilly says with a bow of her head "are you in need of something?" she asks, adjusting the garment folded over her arm.

"A bath would be lovely" Penelope answers "food too, we're good to come down and eat breakfast at a table again so it would be nice if the usual spread could be put o-" she looks back at her alphas before shaking her head a little "maybe with a little more meat, sausages and eggs with some bacon would be lovely." Tilly nods along, ticking off what is needed on her hand.

"I will get right onto that my lady, I'll ready a tea gown for you, something comfortable for you to wear for the day" Tilly says before turning on her heel and hurrying off to set things up as was asked. An hour later and her bath has been filled with hot water much to her pleasure. She lowers herself into it carefully with a hiss, before leaning back comfortably. Her eyes close as she relaxes into the bath and its not until Anthony talks that she realises she is no longer alone.

"Why do you do it?" he asks, and she opens her eyes lazily to look at him, he's leaning against the door jam, looking over her with a steady, unreadable gaze. She swallows at the sudden lump in her throat.

"Do you know what it is to be the ire of the ton, Viscount?" she asks and he frowns at the use of his title. She nods at the uncomfortable twitch of his mouth and then looks up at the ceiling so she doesn't have to look at him as she says what needs to be said. "No, I did not think so."

She sighs and swirls a hand in the water.

"It might be worth having the other two in here for this" she says and he grunts at her in acknowledgement before clearing his throat.

"They're already here Penelope" he says and she looks at him in time to catch him nodding over his shoulder. She shifts in her bath a little to peer where he had been gesturing and Ben and Colin are crowding up behind their brother. She rolls her eyes a little and gestures for them all to enter.

"By all means" she says "come in and I will weave the tale for you all."

Once they're all settled, Anthony perched on a seat next to the tub, Colin kneeling beside it, hand clasped in hers and Benedict on the other side of it, leaning against the wall nearest her, she tells them.

"People had always been cruel about me, you saw it for yourself when Cressida made a point to make disparaging comments about me the first time we all gathered at here for the luncheon your mother organised in order to gather all the future debutantes together to facilitate friendships." She scoffs a little "Can't say it particularly worked for me, but then I did not test as an Omega."

She squeezes Colin's hand and pulls her knees closer to herself.

"It was my first ball, I was near the flower arrangements to hide from people making comments on my beta designation, weight," she sniffs a little "my looks when I overheard one of the servers telling the other that he'd caught Cressida's father in his cups confessing to anyone who would listen about the way he was extorting a few of the men in his circle." Anthony frowns at that a little.

"I moved from my corner to get a lemonade and bumped into Cressida, she took it as the perfect moment to say some really" she pulls a face at this, the shame burns in her gut from the memory of it "awful things about me to her little tittering friends."

Colin makes a noise in his throat and squeezes her hand in his, she knows he feels a little ashamed for all the times he danced with Cressida, but it did not negate the fact that he was a gentleman and would often dance with each débutante no matter who they were.

"I ended up going home in disgrace, and nobody even noticed I had left, not my mother and certainly not my father or sisters. You would think I would have been on somebodies thoughts, no? But I wasn't, and so when the hours passed I got angry and started writing down every little piece of gossip that I overheard, everyone overlooked me so it wasn't a hardship to find a lot to write in particular. And I knew most of them were true, or true in some sense because more often than not the people gossiped about told on themselves unknowingly. A pair re-entering the ballroom in a disarray, a guilty party hovering around the person they had wronged to catch them, boastful people thinking that a nobody would notice their indiscretions." She sighs and shifts in the tub, suddenly finding it particularly funny that all of her big Lady Whistledown confessions seem to be happening in this bathtub. She looks at the water accusingly, wondering if there is some sort of truth serum that seeps into her skin from it. "But I did notice, and so I wrote, it was all for myself, for my own vindication that despite how they held themselves above me they were just as flawed as me for all their preening. It got me through a fair few lonely nights. And then my father's solicitor found one of them- I was absolutely horrified when I went back to get it and found him reading it- He had a good chuckle over it and part of me was proud of that but mostly I was waiting for the hammer to come down on me for the things I said within those writings."

She shrugged a little, thoughtful "He put me in touch with a printer, and after that I was mostly on my own- I tended to save what little pin money I got so I had a fairly tidy sum that I'd stowed away for when I needed it, being a beta I wasn't much use to the family as far as finding a wealthy husband would go so I needed *something*. And so Lady Whistledown was born and the rest is history really."

Anthony eyed her from his perch on the chair, lips thinning as he regarded her.

"So that's the big mystery behind Lady Whistledown, she's a lonely little girl who took the advice of a solicitor?" he asked slowly, and Penelope's stomach drops at the incredulous stare he's lobbing her way.

"The solicitor was right" she said, clenching Colin's hand a hair too tight at the tone of the viscount's voice. "And I made a killing off it."

"And where is this money now?" Anthony questions, leaning his elbows on his knees as he watches her.

"Nowhere you can find" she says haughtily, sitting up with a splash. "I earned that money *Viscount, I pay people's wages with it and keep my family afloat and if you think I'll just hand it over to you because you're my pack leader you have another thing coming."

He sits back up, his eyebrows coming together but it's Benedict who voices the question clearly on his face.

"Keep your family afloat? Penny, please do not tell me you are putting your hard earned money back into a family who doesn't deserve it" Benedict says, voice a little pleading, and she looks over at him with a wry grin.

"Of course I am, for all their faults they are still my family and when Papa died he left us in insurmountable debt, and my mother needed to pay for the dowries of two Omega's out of the measly funds he had left, besides, if I had not supported them, then I would have ended up just as homeless as they." She says, and its clear that she is proud of that little factor, that she had kept herself and her family under the roof of the estate despite their poor attitude towards her.

"Well, can hardly comment on that, none of us have been in that sort of situation before by any means" Colin says, shooting his brothers a look "I'm not particularly sure why you continue to support them but the monetary compensation Anthony gave your family for his indiscretions at the debutante debut should keep them in fine order for some time, at least until Prudence bonds somebody and god willing your mother hasn't had to spend the girl's dowry."

Anthony shifts in his seat "If you don't mind Penelope, if I could even take a short look at your financials I may be able to present you with some way of keeping your money in a more secure place- You need not tell me the location of money, just provide me with a book or anything you've used to keep track of it." She hums a little at that and pulls herself to standing. Colin hurriedly throws a towel around her, and when she takes a wobbly step out of the bath Colin swoops her into a bridal carry.

"I have a journal with my financial information in it, but its also where I jot down ideas before I write the draft of the article in it so I can keep track of what is old and what is new news. Now, if that is all adequate, I want us to all eat around the breakfast table today and I fully intend on sitting on a seat this time if it wouldn't bother you all too much" she says and Colin huffs as he lays her out on the bed. The sheets have been changed, and the windows were wide open to air it out. Tilly waits a little anxiously in the sidelines with all Penelope's clothes for the day laid out. When Penelope dries off she allows Tilly to help her dress behind a privacy screen. Not that she needs the privacy screen, it seems a little moot point given that only the night before she had been splayed out on the bed, naked with Colin feasting on her while the other two watched. It was a little funny how little she seemed to care about it all now, the propriety expected of her despite all that came with being a pack Omega. They all wash off and dress too once Tilly is dismissed from the room, and they escort her down to the breakfast table where they don't peep a word, all far too focused on their meals. It's later, as she lounges in the library, nose buried in a book that they find her again, Anthony in the lead.

"I've advised Tilly to start packing your things" he says, and she sits up to protest, slightly frantic, but he holds up a hand for her to wait "We need to return to the city, we have much to do, and mother will need to walk you through what it means to be viscountess before the season really gets into swing. I also need to do a follow up on what that doctor had been doing with the samples he has been collecting from Omegas" He says the last part grimly, and Penelope calms a little at the assured 'we' part of what he said.

"Okay," she says softly, agreeing to the plans. Not that she had much choice, being the Viscount's Omega meant responsibilities that she needed to be taught. She was so very lucky she was in pack ABC, Violet was sure to look after her in that regard, she would not be left in a lurch by a mother in law who did not approve of her daughter in law.

"Upon our return," he hesitates, a look on her face that says she will not like what he has to say "we will be discussing whether Lady Whistledown will be continuing, I know you have your reasons for her existence Penelope, but we have our own misgivings that need to be addressed properly before we can allow you to further pursue this."

Her stomach drops and she swallows convulsively around the lump in her throat.

"There is no discussion," she says tartly "I will be continuing to write Lady Whistledown upon our return to the t-"

"This is up for discussion Penelope, whether you want to acknowledge it or not you are the Bridgerton Omega now and your actions reflect on the rest of the family- If someone were to catch you it could mean Franchesca and Hyacinth's ruin before they've even debuted properly. I am not saying that we're going to ban you from your pursuits outright, I am just asking you put a hold on it until we can find a compromise" Anthony says, tone brokering no disagreement. Logically, she can see where he is coming from, she knows a lot is riding on her reputation now, but she also feels like a part of her is being ripped from her grip. Her entire world had gone up in flames the moment she went into heat, this was just another thing her designation will impact. She reluctantly drops her shoulders and sighs, head tilting back as she breathes through the growing panic before nodding.

"Okay," she says "okay, I understand, as long as we can sit down and talk this properly without immediate disregard to my own feelings I can put a pin it for now."

Anthony's shoulders drop too, and its then she realises the tension he had been carrying. The other two look equally as relieved over the interaction. She straightens in her seat, marking her page and then closing the book.

"When do we leave?" she asks.

"Tomorrow morning Penny" Benedict says, flopping himself into the seat next to her. "Bright and early, up at sparrow fart in the morning." She lays her head on his shoulder and Colin squishes himself into her other side with a grin.

"It'll be all good Pen" Colin says brightly, "all sorts of things can happen in four hour carriage ride."

She hums in agreement "Yes, I can read the rest of this book and start on a new one in all that time" and she glances up in time to see the frown on Colin's face.

"Not exactly what I meant, but you can do that too I guess" he says, a little miffed, and she has to bite down the grin that wants to take over her face.

"Right, well, I'm going to send a missive to mother and organise our trip for the 'morrow" Anthony says, leaving one last look at her before exiting the room. She sighs a little, knowing he left mostly because he was still unsure about her being Lady Whistledown. If she knew him as well as she felt she did, she knew that he had already organised everything for the trip tomorrow, he just needed to be away from her for a while. It was understandable given the circumstances but she couldn't help the hurt that penetrated her chest.

Notes:

Sorry this took so long, I am hip deep in school work lately and its been a ~nightmare~

Hope you enjoy this one~

Chapter 6

Notes:

rolls out of depression cave* hi hello sorry this took so long I was, uh, stuck watching Polin edits in my depression cave with my gremlin of a cat curled up next to me.

But hey!!! The new season!! Penelope and Colin pulled me out of it and i was able to finish the last half of this chapter finally. God I love them.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It's drizzling the next morning, the weather matching her mood as Anthony ushers them into the carriage at the crack of dawn. The sun only just peering over the horizon, she squints at Aubrey Hall through the gloom of the morning as it grows smaller, and then eventually disappears from view altogether once they crest the small hill leading out onto the main road back to London. She's cozied up against the door of the carriage with Colin crowding the other side of her. He's entirely too tall for carriage travel with three other people but he seems to find his comfort, as he slumps in his seat and stretches out along the bench. Anthony is reading letters with a crease between his brows and the moment they got into the carriage Benedict pulled his hat down over his eyes and fell asleep. She looks longingly at her book but it is far too dark for her to really enjoy it. She doesn't understand how Anthony manages it, and when she questions him on it he sighs and folds the paper in his hand.

"I don't really" he confesses "I believe I have been stuck on the same sentence since we began." Penelope grins at him and he reaches over to her and pats her knee. When she yawns he nods over at Colin who perks up a little at his brother's eyes on him. "If you're still tired Penelope, you may as well take advantage of Colin, I'm sure he would be happy to be your pillow."

She looks over at Colin who opens his arms invitingly, and she looks back at her book for a moment before resigning herself to sleep. She cuddles up to him and he helps her get situated comfortably, eventually, with her back pressed to his chest, legs up on the seat with one of his legs stretched out next to her and the other foot on the floor. He looks a little squished in the position but really, it's no different to how squished he was before so he seems to take it like a champ.

She awards him with a kiss on the chin for his sacrifice.

It takes her a while to settle but when she does she sleeps deeply, and it's only when they stop for a bathroom break that she is woken so Colin can get up and stretch his legs. She stretches and feels full of energy after her sleep. It's lightened up considerably so she picks up her book from where it fell on the floor, when she straightens Benedict has woken up and jumps from the carriage with a muttered 'Sorry love, need to relieve my bladder' from him before he stalks into the woods lining the road.

Penelope finds a comfortable place to sit on her bench and cracks open her book, immersing herself in it until she gets an uncomfortable prickle on the back of her neck. She looks up and glances around, nothing seems out of the ordinary, the place they stopped is a little elbow off the main road and it's quiet, and shrouded by trees. The coachman is a little ways off from the carriage watering the horses, murmuring to them quietly as he does so and she can hear a carriage or a horse pass by their spot now and then. No doubt people are travelling back from their ancestral homes in time for the opening of the season. She looks back down at her book and tries to immerse herself in its story again but she finds herself shifting uncomfortably in her seat as that uncomfortable prickling on the back of her neck returns. She looks back up at her surroundings and her chest feels a little tight as her anxiety kicks up a notch.

Biting her lip she looks over at where Benedict disappeared into the copse of trees and, feeling agitated, alights from the carriage to follow after him. She follows the traces of his scent, and she's so intent on finding him that it takes her a moment to realise she can hear the sound of someone walking through the woods near her. She stops and looks around to see if she can see one of her Alpha's, but all she can see are trees.

"Hello?" she calls out "Benedict? Is that you?" When there's no answer she shudders a little before scenting the air to see if she can catch Benedict's scent again. She wonders, briefly, why he walked so far into the woods and begins walking again once she can find that smell of honey and pine smoke on the air again. It's waning and her breathing picks up as she chases the traces of it. The scent of him grows stronger and she sighs in relief when a pair of strong arms catch her from behind, she's lifted in the air and she screeches before a hand claps down over her mouth muffling any noise she makes.

"Shhhh," a voice says in her ear, and through her initial panic it registers that she knows this voice and she knows this scent. Penelope's eyes narrow as she bites down on the hand covering her mouth, hard. Benedict curses and bites her ear in retaliation so that she lets go of the meat of his palm.

"Good girl," he says, a laugh hitching his voice "I'm sorry kitten, I didn't mean to scare you like that but I needed to save you from the patch of brambles you were about to step in."

She relaxes in his hold, looking down at her feet, and he's right, she would have walked straight into them, she'd already done that once in her life and didn't plan on it again. They don't look like much but getting caught in the thorns was no joke, she still has scars from it on the back of her calf.

"Thank you," she says tartly, squirming in his arms until he sets her feet down on solid ground again "Maybe next time answer me when I call you though." Benedict goes still behind her and when she looks back over at him he's frowning at her.

"You called for me?" he asks, and she turns around to face him properly, biting her lip as she looks over his shoulder warily.

"Yes, I heard you walking near me so I called out to you," she says slowly and he shakes his head in response.

"Penelope, I only saw you just now when I saved you from the bramble patch" he says "Are you sure it wasn't Anthony or Colin?" and it's her turn to shake her head now.

"No, Anthony and Colin entered into the woods a bit further off than you" she replies "and I was following your scent- I didn't smell anybody other than you Benedict."

His frown deepens and she shrugs the chill she feels off. "I'm sure it was just an animal or something," she says unconvincingly, remembering how it felt like she had eyes on her while she was in the carriage waiting for her pack to get back. She swallowed back the rising panic and smiled at Benedict, one which he returned tentatively.

"Now," he says, holding out his hand to her and she takes it happily. "Let's get back on the road."

They walk back to the carriage which is waiting back in that little elbow off the road for them, Colin and Anthony are standing near it, talking in low voices and their heads turn in unison when Benedict and her come out of the trees. Anthony stalks over to them, and she can see he has his lecture face on but something on Benedict's face stays his sharp tongue. "Are you alright?" he asks, slowing his stalk to a halt before them, and Benedict pulls her into his side and gives his brother a half smile.

"All good," Benedict replied. "Just had a bit of a scare, didn't we Pen?" Penelope nods, "Be a good girl and head on over to Col to give you a boost into the carriage kitten, I just need to talk to Anthony about some logistics about tomorrow." She frowns up at him and he squeezes her to him a little before letting go, she takes a few steps away at the obvious dismissal, and Anthony reaches out as she steps past him to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. She pats his hand and ambles over to Colin who is digging into a bag, pulling out a few squashed bread rolls that had been wrapped in paper. He handed one to her and she took it gratefully while he rummaged in the bag again and pulled out a canteen of water. He offered her the bottle and she took it and sipped the water in it. It was still cool and she was happy for it as the day got brighter, the sun got hotter. She handed the bottle back to Colin who took it and gulped down a few greedy mouthfuls of it before he capped it and put it back into the bag. She unwrapped her bread roll and was happy when she bit into it and there was cheese and meat in it. She finishes it off quickly and brushes the crumbs off her skirt before Colin helps her back to her seat with him. He pulled her into his side and she snuggled into him with a sigh, finding her place in her book.

Anthony and Benedict joined them not long after and when they situated themselves Anthony rapped his knuckles on the roof of the carriage and it took off again and maneuvered out of the little elbow they had been cocooned in.

There were more travellers on the road now that the sun was up higher in the sky, and given they were only a few hours away from London now it was a miracle it hadn't been busier.

Colin kicked over the bag he had gotten their bread rolls from and said "Breakfast" to his brothers before leaning back in his seat so he could find a comfortable spot. Penelope sighed and her eyes flicked up from her page and met Benedict's gaze with hers.

Their staring contest only ended when Anthony handed Benedict his bread roll to him. Benedict took it and bit into it like a man starved. Penelope smiled at him, and he grinned around a mouthful at her which made her face fall in distaste. "You're disgusting Benedict" she says primly, scrunching her nose when he pokes his tongue out at her. She pokes her tongue out at him in retaliation and Anthony growls at the both of them.

"Keep it up and I'll show you better things you can do with that tongue of yours Penelope" Anthony purred and her face flushed red at the implications. She opened her mouth to point out that Ben had started it but Anthony gave her a stern look and her mouth closed with a clack of teeth.

Colin nuzzles his nose into her hair and takes a deep breath of her scent, which had spiked in interest at Anthony's threat. "Mmm" he murmurs "she likes the sound of that Ant, I think that's not much of a punishment if she ends up enjoying it as much as she enjoys the sound of it." He looks over at Anthony, his voice conversational despite the subject matter. She shifts in her seat, biting her lip as Anthony's gaze brushes down her body at a leisurely pace.

She's not in anything that would be particularly enticing, her day dress was more for comfort than anything else, but she knows that shade of blue makes the colour of her eyes pop. He smiles at her when he realises she's all flustered from his perusal of her, his eyes scrunching up in such a genuine smile that she can't help smiling back.

"I think you'll find our greedy little Omega would happily take any punishment we had to offer her if it gets that pink little cunt of hers filled," Benedict said through a mouthful of bread. Anthony sighs in disgust and whacks his brother. Penelope looked pointedly down at her book, not wanting to give Benedict the pleasure of seeing her affected by his words. He wasn't wrong, her Alpha's had alluded to Anthony being the one to dole out punishments and the way they made it soundâ Well, she was intrigued, to say the least. Her imagination tended to run a little wild whenever it was mentioned, at times she found herself fixated on Anthony's strong palm and it made her feel all squirmy and heated. Her understanding may not go beyond what she had done with her alphas but from what she had heard from other omegas tittering on the sides of the dance floor, she had been given a pretty thorough education on bedroom habits, and if she were being honest she was happy to learn as much as she could if it meant she could feel as good as they made her feel all the time. Oftentimes she felt like their student in that aspect, and she couldn't help but imagine Anthony dressed as one of the professors at Oxford, some she had met with her Papa. He'd been invited as an alumnus for dinner. Her Mama had taken her sisters to their Aunt's for summer for their Omega education and as she had been beyond the age of needing a nanny or a Governess her father had reluctantly taken her. Her Mama had encouraged it hoping Penelope would meet a beta barrister or banker while there, no luck of course. The professors had been dressed in robes over their suits with a silly cap atop their heads. She had gotten into a discussion with one of them on the Greek Pantheon and he had been giving her indulgent smiles when her Papa had scolded her for wasting the man's time. He had been charming, if a little condescending, but most men were condescending to women's interests no matter how learned they were. What had stood out to her though was the robe, and how much she wanted one for herself.

While the Professor she had been talking to had been watery-eyed and almost too thin to be fashionable, Anthony would look quite fetching in one. She bites her lip at the thought, and Colin's groan shocks her out of her fantasy.

"Our Omega is going to find herself straddling my lap if she keeps thinking naughty things" Colin murmurs into her ear as he reaches over and turns her page for her. She hadn't realised she had been reading the last sentence over and over while she had been thinking.

"Don't even think about it Colin," Anthony warns, he's going through his documents again, given that the sun had risen enough for him to read them now. "We are on the main highway into London, there's too many people making their way on the road for you to have your way with her" he looks up from his work at this. "As enticing as she is right now" he flicks a heated stare at her "if the carriage starts rocking everyone will know what is happening and whose carriage it is happening in."

Colin smiles at Anthony toothily "Brother, that sounds an awful lot like a challenge."

Anthony scowls at him but Benedict is delighted by this and Colin has already hauled Penelope into his lap. She huffs a little at him but lets him manhandle her. He rucks up her skirts and when he finds her legs, traces his fingers over the ribbons tying her stockings up. "God I love this," he says, thumbing at the swell of her thigh above the ribbon. He gently pushes his hands under her gathered skirts and quickly finds her heat. She's already wet, the earlier banter having set off a flood between her legs, given she wasn't long out of her heat, she was on a hair trigger for things making her wet. Colin bites off a curse at how wet she is before sinking his fingers into her. Penelope adjusts herself in his lap as he crooks his finger and starts massaging that spot inside her that sets off fireworks. Her mouth opens in a pant and she fists his shirt as her head drops back. She sees Anthony behind her and finds that he's abandoned his work to watch her.

He scoots closer to her and tugs her back until she is kept aloft between the two men, her lap in Colin's as he teases her and her back pressed to Anthony's chest as he deftly scoops her breasts from her half stays. Anthony cups her breasts in his hands, her nipples peeking between his fingers as he starts to twist the pink peaks between them. She groans softly and leans her weight back into him with a hiss of pleasure. He slouches a little so that his mouth can find her neck and she presents it to him as her eyes flutter. He latches onto his mating mark and her breath catches in her throat, she can feel the thrum of their mating bond in her mind as he nips and licks at it and she can't help the sound that escapes her.

He pulls back and hushes her gently "You have to be quiet princess," he says, the warmth of his breath on her ear making gooseflesh spring up on her neck deliciously. "Don't want anybody else to hear you but us- Do you think you can do that sweetheart?"

She goes to answer but Colin twists his fingers in her and she groans, feeling her insides tighten around him.

"Stop, Colin" Anthony commands and Colin flicks his eyes to Penelope before stopping the movement of his fingers. She whimpers as her insides clench. "Penelope," Anthony says in a low warning "when I ask you something I expect an answer."

"I don't know," she says, and it's truthful- She doesn't know if she can stay quiet for him, all of her experience points to no, they had the habit of wringing noises out of her she didn't even know she could make. Anthony hums, pinching her nipple.

"Well that won't do," he says simply, "let me help sweetheart" he slips his thumb into her mouth and she can feel him nod behind her, Colin gives her a wicked grin before moving his fingers inside of her again. She gasps around Anthony's thumb and he presses down on her tongue so she wraps her lips around it and sucks. He rumbles behind her in a satisfied way. It doesn't take long before she is stirred back into a frenzy of pleasure. She can feel slick dripping down her thighs as Colin makes quick work of her with the masterful way he twists his fingers inside her and thumbs at her clit. She rolls right into an orgasm, biting down on Anthony's thumb, he hisses but doesn't remove it so the moan she lets out is muffled around it.

He shifts her in his arms a little and then Colin presses into her, she hadn't even realised that he had released himself from his trousers so focused she was on the searing pleasure he had rolled her into. Penelope whines at the stretch and Anthony hushes her before removing his thumb with a pop and kissing her until her head swims with pleasure. When he pulls back he smothers her moans with his hand tight across her mouth. Colin uses the way the carriage bumps along to time his thrusts and it makes her feel weightless between him and Anthony. He pulls out suddenly and she's being flipped over so she can take Anthony in her mouth too. She feels manhandled by them both and it sends a thrill through her being used in this way. Anthony's fingers tangle in her hair, some of the pins in her hair falling free from her tresses. They fall around her face in curls and he pulls them back from her face so he can look at her while she swallows him down obediently. Her pleasure makes her pliant in their hands and he lets out a gasping laugh that turns into a groan, he reaches down to pull her top lip up a bit as she swallows him down to the root and thumbs at one of her fangs. She hadn't even realised they'd descended and she goes to pull her mouth from him but he holds her there as she swallows around him, looking at him through hazy eyes.

"That's it" he breathes "Good girl, good omega" he uses her hair to maneuver her face up and down his cock and she can't help the way she smiles around him while looking up at him, his mouth twitches back in a grin at her. Colin pushes himself into her again and she moans, she finds her fingers again and wraps her hands as much as she can around Anthony's developing soft knot as he fucks her mouth and he groans at the sensation.

Colin's fingers find her clit and he rubs circles over it the way she likes and she feels utterly used between her Alpha's. Benedict is hanging back and watching as Anthony and Colin wreck her in front of him. There's a particularly rough patch on the road that has them bouncing a little and Colin takes advantage and fucks into her roughly. She clenches around him and pulls off Anthony's cock so she can bite down on his thigh to strangle her cries. When the sweetness of his blood touches her tongue she pulls away and before she can apologise Anthony is swooping down to kiss it off her lips. He pulls back and she tries not to collapse on him. "I know," he croons softly "I know sweet girl, it's alright, I know you can't help those pretty fangs of yours doing a little damage" his thumb sweeps over her cheekbone and she nuzzles into his palm a little before she leans over and swallows him down again, he curses and rocks up into her mouth until his soft knot is knocking against her teeth. The little Omega quirk that makes taking him in her throat easy makes it just as pleasing for her as it is for him, and she can tell she is leaking slick. Colin gathers some of it on his hand and presses his thumb into her arse as he fucks her and it feels so good as he starts stretching her out there that she shatters around him. Anthony groans as she moans around him and cups her throat and presses a little where there's the slight bulge from his cock. She chokes a little but he draws back enough that when he floods her mouth with his cum she can swallow it down.

It tastes like him, and she licks her lips when he pulls away.

Colin follows not long after, and he presses a kiss to the back of her neck when he empties into her and she purrs at him as he gasps against her skin. He doesn't sink his knot into her, thankfully, so when he finishes she struggles to lift herself. He and Anthony help her up and she crawls along the bench to Ben, Ben who has been very patient despite the clear tent in his pants.

She undoes his buttons and when she goes to use her mouth on him he tuts a little and pulls her into his lap so he can sink into her. He strokes in and out of her at a leisurely pace before pulling out of her so he can press into her arse. She groans at the stretch of him, it was easier to do this during her heat- All the loose muscles made it easier but now she is no longer in that state he feels so much bigger than he did the first time. She pants through it and he murmurs praise into her hair as she adjusts to him. When she does, she plants her knees to stabilise herself and then fucks herself onto him. He lazily holds her hips as she does so, eyes at half mast as he watches her, the bounce of her breasts and the way her face changes as she finds a rhythm that has them both gasping.

"That's it kitty," he says in a low rumble "You take me so well, and you did so good being quiet" She preens under the praise, her thighs burn from bouncing on his cock but when he grips her hips and helps the movement. It takes a bit of the burden off her so she relaxes into the movement. He moves one of his hands down to her centre so he can fuck his fingers into her and circle her clit until she is fuzzy-headed and so ready to come again it almost hurts. So when he twists his fingers inside her and he stretches them out she comes with a sob, tears dotting her eyes as he fucks her through it crooning praise and love at her. When she slumps against him, boneless, he plants his feet and drives into her again and again until he's having to stifle a roar as he empties into her; mouth on his mating bite.

He pets her hair as he comes down from his high and she shifts a little against him, snuggling into him as he pulls out of her.

She's a mess with them, a mixture of her slick and Colin and Benedict's come making her thighs sticky and her hair loose from Anthony fisting it. At some point, she is passed back over to Colin who cradles her as Benedict uses his cravat to clean her up. He'd loosened it earlier and had taken it off, so he wasn't too worried about it. Colin pulls the rest of the pins from her hair and brushes the knots out of it with his fingers. As a result, her hair is a wild riot of brushed-out curls. She dozes on and off and before she notices they're in London again, making their way to Grosvenor Square. Everyone is as tidy as they're going to get when they disembark from the carriage, Anthony helps her from it knowing the step down from it is a fair distance. The gate to the home is opened and it isâ Quiet.

Oh, the servants line the walkway into the home as an introduction to the new pack and their bride, and she is shy around them all, even though she had grown up around a great deal of them. Violet took a few of them with her to number five, but the employees who had been a part of the household for years had stayed behind. But, it is quiet.

It's like at any point Gregory or Hyacinth were going to come running around the corner and bowl her over but it's not the case and she feels a little bereft? Her hands flutter to brush out creases from her dress and she looks over her shoulder at her family's house. It stands looming and a twitch of the curtains from what she knows to be the drawing-room window makes her frown. She hoped her being home would mean that her mother wouldn't take it as an invitation to visit, but no doubt they would be seeing her later in the evening for afternoon tea.

She touches Humboldt's arm and mentions it to him, and he nods before spinning on his heel and waving the rest of the maids away. The housekeeper scurries after him while the footmen start unpacking their luggage from the carriages.

Colin tugs her towards the house and she breathes out a heavy sigh, moving to take a step through the door she's suddenly swept up into Anthony's arms and she lets out a gasp as he settles her against him in a bridal carry. Ben pats him on the back before kissing her forehead and disappearing into the house, Colin doing the same not long after.

"I thought they only did this in my romance novels" she confessed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, he gave her one of his rakish smiles.

"Penelope Bridgerton, I do know how to be romantic," he says with a click of his tongue and she laughs a little in disbelief, he narrows his eyes at her "Just for that, Omega, you can spend luncheon stuck on my knot."

She shivers a little in anticipation of that as he walks with her firmly in his arms into their home.

He sets her back onto her feet as they stand at the entrance of the home, it's decidedly emptier than it had once been. The chaise lounge that had been in the middle of the room is gone, and so is the bench seat that used to sit between two potted citrus trees. A few of the paintings that had adorned the walls are gone too, and she feels their absence keenly.

"Where did the family portraits go?" she asked and Anthony drew her to his side as he looked around the room too.

"Likely with Mother, the one with all of us is likely in the portrait gallery now"' he answered. She bit her lip as she looked up at him.

"It seems soâ" she fished for the right words.

"Empty? Quiet?" he offered and she nodded.

"Yes, quiet," she agreed.

"Blessedly '' he said, pulling away from her to clap his hands together, the sound echoed in the room and he stepped away from her before spinning to face her. "Go get washed up Omega'' he says "Relax for a while, pray your mother doesn't come over, and" his voice drops a little as he looks her up and down "make sure you wear the minimum amount of clothing so I can deliver on my promise during lunch. I have some work to do in the meantime."

He spins back around and leaves the room.

After freshening up, her hair now in a braid and she's wearing one of her new wrappers- It's a pretty blue that matches her eyes, little embroidered blue bells adorning it- She finds herself in the library running her finger along the spines of the books. A chunk of books have been removed, the shelves no longer as tightly packed as they had been once before. She considered that she would have to have her books unpacked into the shelves too, and it was a good feeling to realise she had something to contribute to the household. Her hand paused as she considered that, when they were blessed with them, she intended on making sure their pups were surrounded by stories. She laid a hand on her belly in thought, if her heat was successful she may very well be pregnant already. A surge of excitement? Nerves? Worry? rushes through her. Part of her was anticipating it, the thought of doing what Omegas were meant to do made her oddly prideful. But at the same time, if she were with pups, she may have to hang up Lady Whistledown for good. And that hurt her heart.

The breath she lets out is shaky.

"You look quite pretty kitten" Benedict says from the doorway and she startles, dropping the book she had absentmindedly picked up while she was deep in thought.

"Benedict!" she exclaimed, hand on heart "You gave me quite the fright" Benedict smiled slyly at her, before walking into the room. They both bend at the same time for the book she dropped and their hands touch. Benedict grins over at her and softly takes it from her hands before holding his free one out for her to use to help herself to stand again. He stands when she is on her feet and flips the book around to glance at the spine of it, his eyebrow quirks a little as he reads the title.

"Hmm, I didn't know you would read something as dry as an Almanac kitten," he says, looking over at her "It's okay pet, I won't let Anthony that you're interested in the family business-"

"Oh, hush you, I didn't even realise I had picked up an Almanac," she said, interrupting him. He just gave her one of his devilish grins in turn.

"I did come looking for you for a reason dearest one" he said, tilting his head to the side. "Your mother has in fact come for a visit- Humboldt has her waiting for us in the drawing room, do you feel up for a visit? I am more than happy to be the bad guy here and send her on her way."

Penelope swallowed nervously and he reached out to grasp both her hands in his to squeeze them. "Best get it over with" she said after a hesitation and Benedict smiled at her before hooking her arm through his and walking her to the drawing room. Her mother is seated primly in one of the seats, sipping from a cup of tea as she wrinkles her nose.

"Mother," Penelope said, in lieu of a greeting, her mother frowned at her, eyeing her clothes up and down in disdain. Penelope squeezed Benedict's arm and he brought her to the seat across from her mother, plopping down into it beside her. She knew they were being incredibly rude with how they were being so informal but she was finding it hard to care.

"Penelope," her mother says, setting her tea down, "I do hope you dress more appropriately to receive guests in future." Penelope's face pulls into a feigned smile.

"Well, anybody visiting should send forth a calling card to let us know they're visiting before so we can be better prepared in future" Penelope said, and she can't help the little bit of snark in her voice. Her mother merely tuts, shaking her head in disapproval.

"I saw you arrive earlier, were you not appropriately looked after by your lady's maid? I am more than happy to offer some recommendations for you" her mother said after a moment and Penelope bit back a sigh.

"I am more than happy with my ladies maid mother, she is quite clever and knows how I like to keep myself- my hair had simply come undone while I was sleeping during our travels" she replies, and her mother sniffs disdainfully at that.

Benedict reaches for her hand and squeezes it with his, and she shoots him a grateful look.

"While it is always lovely to see you Dowager Featherington, our pack is still settling back into the house now that we have finished our bonding- I'm sure you can forgive any indiscretions from us. We were on the road for half the day and we do have a lot to get through today so we may have to cut this-" Benedict says, obviously deciding that she had enough of her mother but her mother cut him off with a harsh bark of laughter.

"If this is the way you intend to send me on my way Mister Bridgerton you are as clearly lacking in sense as the rest of your pack- I am here because I wish to speak with my daughter about having her mating confirmed." Her mother straightened the bodice of her dress in agitation, her left hand shaking a little as she did so. Penelope frowned at that and filed it away for later to examine.

"Confirm?" Benedict asked, tone icy- His normally affable nature was wiped clear from his face in a fierce glare from those grey eyes of his.

"Yes" Portia said, tilting her chin up as though daring Benedict to question her "As you well know, until an Omega's mating has been confirmed and tested they are still under their family's legal purview. I am well within my rights to request this, given the volatile nature of how you came to be together with my daughter I would be remiss not to make sure she has been properly bonded."

"Those laws are old and no one invokes them anymore Portia" Anthony's voice says from the doorway, Penelope throws a wide-eyed look over her shoulder at him and he's just as icy as Benedict as he stalks across the room to her "and that aside in order to invoke those laws you would have to have the support of the house of lords a feat that not many can accomplish without a fair amount of pushback." Penelope wants to feel relieved at this but when she looks back at her mother her mother has that half smile on her face that tells her she has something else up her sleeve to one up Anthony.

"I am well aware of the laws whelp" her mother replies, "and I have already made moves to gain those votes- I have signatures from Duke Mainsley, Baron Jackobs, Marquis Byron, Earl Kenton and many more aside them but even you would admit that these are the names that matter."

Each name her mother listed made her stomach drop further, she wasn't wrong. Each of those names was big, she wasn't sure how her mother obtained their signatures but she wouldn't hold it past her to have collected some form of blackmail if nothing else in order to get them. She had to hope those Lords weren't as interested in her mating as her mother hinted.

"If that is all you have come to say, Portia, I must have our footmen escort you out. It is clear to me that you have come here with ill will- You and I both know that I paid reparations to you for the way in which we found our Omega and have since gone through legitimate mating ceremonies. Until you have more legitimacy behind your invocation of that law I must ask you to leave our home and not come back without invitation" Anthony said, and while it was clear her mother was not happy about being escorted out, it was obvious in the sly twitch of her lips that she had every intention of getting enough votes in order to do just that.

Penelope couldn't help the fear that erupted in her at the thought of it, she had heard about that law. It wasn't a bad law per se, it was put in place to protect Omega from having an incomplete bonding forced on them, or even just not being bonded when their mating was of a volatile nature. As well intended as that law was though, it tended to be used by the family of Omega's to take over an Omega's rights once out of the family nest. In the most extreme cases, the Omega stuck in the middle of the dispute were often made to separate from their found pack which was detrimental to a new pack bond.

Without tending of a bond- knotting, scent marking and tending to the bonding marks- Bonds could weaken and break. She couldn't help the frisson of despair that ran through her at that thought.

"Are you okay kitten?" Benedict asked her, she glanced over at him as he took her hand in his. She squeezed it and bit her lip, blinking back a sudden onslaught of tears coming to her eyes. She took a breath and looked up at the ceiling as she calmed herself.

"What could this mean for me?" Penelope asked, looking at two of her Alpha's who hovered around her in obvious worry. Anthony looked poised to answer when Colin burst through the doors of the drawing room out of breath.

"Sorry," he said between pants "got here as fast as I could, I could feel the tension down the bond- What happened?" Anthony gestured for Colin to take the seat on the other side of Penelope, and he did, taking her hand into his as well.

"Portia visited," Anthony said, distaste clear on his face "She's trying to get a bond confirmation past the House of Lords" Colin made an outraged noise at that and Anthony gestured for him to calm down "We will make every move we have in our sleeve to make sure this does not come to pass. We will get Simon in on this immediately and rally any other member of the peerage we have in our books."

"Should we get Lady Danbury in on it?" Colin asked and at the look of his brothers, he shrugs at the both of them "What? Look, Lady Danbury may not be a Lord but we all know she holds a lot of influence in the ton and she can possibly have a word with the Queen if it becomes dire enough to need her to step in."

"Good point," Benedict said, a look of contemplation on his face.

"You haven't answered me yet Anthony, what could this mean for me?" Penelope butted in before anybody else could take them off topic again, she had a particularly bad feeling about what it could mean and she had to swallow the rock in her throat.

Anthony paced back and forth before her, hands in his hair as he considered her question.

"If we are lucky, we can bring in a bond specialist that is of a neutral party to examine your bites and how stable our bond is- If your mother manages to get the right people on her side she could appoint your family doctor Penelope," Anthony looked particularly concerned over this "and we have reason to believe he is using his position as a doctor to take advantage of Omega's and profit off them like we think is likely what happened when you first presented."

Penelope pulled a face at that, she had wondered what they meant by that, did that mean her mother was also potentially making money off of what had happened to her during her first heat? The thought of it made her feel ill and she had to swallow the feeling down. She was starting to realise that nothing about her abrupt presentation had been 'by the book' so to speak. Anthony took that moment to crouch in front of her and take her face in his hands. He looked at her with a fierce determination she had only seen once before when it had become obvious that Marina had used a pheromone enhancer to entrap Colin into a bonding.

"We will do all within our power to protect you from that Penelope" he said, and she pressed one of his hands closer to her cheek so she could lean into his touch. "Mark my words Omega, we will take this to the Queen if we must. I need to go and send off some messages and book some meetings now, but I will see you at lunch." He stood and stooped low enough to kiss her forehead before striding out of the room in determination.

Colin pulled Penelope into his arms and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled into his embrace. Benedict was sitting on her other side playing with her hand, slipping a look her way when she sighed.

"Are you okay, Penny?" Benedict asks, weaving their fingers together and she gives him a small smile, blinking away a gloss of tears. She was done letting her mother make her cry.

"I'm worried," she admitted, "I'm not entirely sure why she would do this unless she intends on gaining money from it- And my mother is many things but I didn't think she would stoop to this level." She tilted her head into Colin's chest and squeezed her eyes shut at the swoop of dread boiling in her gut "And if there's more to this than even we know I worry about the possible ramifications of what my mother has gotten into with these people if she was aware of what the doctor was doing when he collected my slick like that."

Colin hummed, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he considered what she had said.

"We'll figure something out Pen," he said, "we'll tell Mother tomorrow about what is going on, she may even have some ideas on what could be going on- She works closely with the Omega rehabilitation association, no doubt some of them have been subjected to this." Penelope, shamefully hadn't even thought about what had happened to her may have meant for Omega's in the lower classes of London, especially those who were already being taken advantage of due to their social status in society. She shuddered to think of what they had been through.

"That's certainly something to consider," Benedict said, squeezing her hand "and for what it's worth sweetheart, I think your mother certainly is an awful cow but she had seemed content to let us be when she was given the money for Anthony and Colin's indiscretions, it was a fair sum of money and nothing to sneeze at even for the widow of a Baron. Something likely has happened whether that be somebody in her ear about the potential money she could gain or she is being forced into this is to be seen." He shares a look with Colin that she ignores, she pushes herself out of the seat walks over to the window overlooking the street and looks across at her mother's home. Her mother is glancing back over her shoulder at the Bridgerton pack house, a narrow-eyed look on her face, she doesn't seem to see Penelope which is preferable. There was indeed something less than scrupulous afoot in the Featherington household and she has every intention of finding out what, if not for nothing other than making sure her mother doesn't drag down her new pack with her greed. Whether her Alpha agreed or not, she would have to pull on everything she had learned in becoming Lady Whistledown.

She glances back over Colin and Benedict and catches them in a heated, whispered discussion. She clears her throat and they both look over at her with almost embarrassment at being caught.

"Out with it you two" she says and the men share a look again before looking at her worriedly.

"Penelope," Colin says a little slowly "I know you wish to get back into Lady Whistledown given the coming ball but I really advise at the very least you allow us to make any drop-offs for it- You leaving the house on your own so soon after your heat could very well be what tips the scale in your mother's favour. I know this isn't what you wish to hear but in light of what your mother is trying to do-" He falters, clearly stricken. He swallows down the emotion flickering on his face and looks at her imploringly "I cannot bear it if harm were to come to you."

"None of us could kitten" Benedict piped in, and Penelope searched their faces before nodding. What they did not know could not harm them.

When luncheon rolls around she finds she is no longer in the mood to be caught on a knot, she needs her wits about her and the press of her Alpha's knots inside her leaves her fuzzy-headed and feeling drunk. Anthony respects her decision and merely accepts her sitting on his lap instead. He tucks her into his shoulder and kisses the top of her head as she idly eats cold meat with cheese and a variety of vegetables. She knows she's being quiet, and that it's worrying her pack but she doesn't have it in her to reassure them at this moment, her brain is firing off several ideas she's trying to capture.

Potentially she could sneak into Featherington house, the back door was oft left unlocked for their butler to come through late at night after a cheroot and imbibing heavily in the whiskey in his flask he keeps in the inner pocket of his coat. He was usually too soused to remember to lock it behind him. Getting into her father's old office was as easy as taking the key ring from Varley's night robe she left hanging on her bedroom door. Once she was asleep she was well and truly out for the night, even a trumpet in her room wouldn't wake her. Penelope would know, the first time she had snuck out to deliver a Lady Whistledown all by herself she had tripped into the Housekeeper's bedside table and injured her knee. The noise had been a calamity, and she had felt her life flash before her eyes before it had become obvious Varley was none the wiser to her. She had later figured out that the butler left the door open so had never had to steal away into the Housekeeper's room ever again.

The office was the best bet on where her mother was keeping any documentation that could be incriminating.

She looks between her pack mates and bites back a sigh, knowing she could only risk this if she absolutely needed to. She makes a promise to herself to make sure she doesn't jump the gun and make the decision without properly assessing the situation.

Colin was worried, that look on Penelope's face spelled trouble, and he just knew it. He wanted to trust her word, he really did but he also knew through her actions as Lady Whistledown that she was headstrong and took matters into her own hands when she felt she had no other choice. He exchanges a look with Anthony and his brother's lips are pressed into a straight line of worry. Benedict is equally as worried, he may seem aloof in his posture but there was a stiffness to it that was usually missing. Truthfully, he was counting down the minutes until they could see his family and discuss this whole affair with them. Daphne and her husband, Simon, were in town to be there for Francesca's season. His sister was dedicated to making sure her sisters got the perfect debut and given Fran's was already plagued by her brother's pack finding their Omegaâ Well, the Duke and Dutchess of Hastings hosting a ball at their London home ought to smooth that over.

Having Daph and Hastings there for the discussion was going to be helpful to the situation. As far as influence goes their reach went pretty far, especially given that Simon's godmother is Lady Danbury herself who is in close quarters with the Queen. It would all work out in the end, to think of any other outcome was unthinkable.

Later, when he tucks himself around Penelope that night, he stares blankly at the canopy surrounding her nest and for the first time in a long time he closes his eyes and prays.

He doesn't sleep much that night, and he's sure none of them really do. He had been awake when Anthony had left the nest early in the morning for his half-hour go-through of their mail. He extracts himself from Penelope's arms with great reluctance before following his brother not long after. His brother is already dressed, peering at his pocket watch as Colin comes into the office. Anthony spares him a look before glancing back down at the letter in his hand. The paper is a heavy vellum that screams something official.

"Is that something else we have to worry about?" Colin asked, nodding at the mail Anthony had in hand and his brother sighed through his nose.

"It's nothing you nor Ben have to worry about," he says "just an upcoming court case against Lord Kinsley for his embezzlement of funds" he tosses the letter to his desk and massages his forehead before looking at his brother with tired eyes. "Please tell me I wasn't the only person who clocked the buzz from Penelope's end of the bond?"

Colin throws himself into the cushy seat across from his brother, giving him a look before answering "Oh, she is certainly up to something that we should be worried about- I tried to make it clear to her yesterday how precarious the situation is so hopefully that will curb any of her more worrisome ideas for now." Colin runs a hand through his hair as he considers his words "I'm hopeful that we will establish a sound plan today so we can circumvent any need she feels to take matters into her own hands."

"I hope you're correct Col," Anthony says after a moment of silence "because I am not sure I can protect her from this if the House of Lords decides in favour of Portia."

He takes the echo of that thought with him through the rest of the morning.

By the time they were packed into the carriage off to number five, he felt a slice of panic pierce his heart. He looks over at Penelope who is absentmindedly staring out the window at the passing scenery- She's beautiful in a soft green day dress that brings out the colour of her hair and eyes. He wants so badly for them to figure out what to do about Portia. He knows the vague ideas on how dangerous it is to use Omega slick to formulate pheromone oils and pills enhancers, Alpha's who use it to help with their rut can become dependent on the Omega's pheromones and it can lead to the Alpha seeking that Omega out. The idea that anyone could have access to Penelope in that way made him sick to his stomach.

He reaches over and takes her hand in his, she glances over at him and smiles before squeezing his hand in hers.

When they roll up to the house their mother and siblings are waiting outside for them, all with smiles and it's good to see them. When they alight from the carriage their mother is already beside them ready with hugs for them all. She even holds Penelope's shoulders, looking over her with a keen eye.

"Are those boys of mine treating you well?" she asks and Penelope gives her a wide smile.

"Of course they are" Penelope answers simply, and his mother brings her in for a hug, she murmurs something to Penelope that he can't quite catch and she answers in turn before heading over to Eloise and Franchesca who pulls her into a little group huddle that Hyacinth pouts at. He holds a chuckle before pulling his mother into a hug.

"Oh my dear boy," she says, "I have missed you." She pulls back from the hold she has on him and looks up into his face. She must see something on it because her face falls and when she looks over at Anthony and Benedict her mouth pulls into a frown. "Right," she breathes, "I see this is more than a social visit- What is it?" she asks.

"Not now" he says quietly, glancing over at Hyacinth and Gregory who are chatting Penelope's ear off now that she had extracted herself from the huddle she had been in with his sisters. Anthony is quietly talking to Fran's sire James, Gareth on his other side, there's a stern look on both of their faces and in that moment he's grateful for them. He loves them like they are his own sire, and when he was younger he used to call Gareth Papa and James dad, it was only really due to society's expectations that he had stopped.

It was funny how much societal expectations changed things. Changed everything, really. He looks back toward Penelope in time for their eyes to meet and there's something there in her gaze that worries him, niggles at him.

Before he can think much on it they are being ushered into the house where a veritable feast is set out for them to enjoy, tea and plates of sweets are set out. He immediately makes a beeline for the food and plates himself and Penelope up some bits and pieces of what is on offer. He hands her a plate where she is perched on a seat between Eloise and Ben. She takes it gratefully before tuning back into Eloise talking to her.

"Is this what seeing you is going to be like from now on?" Eloise asks her in disgust, nose scrunched up as she looks pointedly down at where Penelope is holding Ben's hand. "I love you Penelope but I'm not sure I can stomach it."

Ben leans over Penelope and boops Eloise on the nose.

"You know sister," he says, "one day you are going to find an Alpha or a Pack and by golly is it going to be the day I gloat."

Eloise scoffs in disgust at the idea and Colin nearly laughs because if Eloise is anything, she is consistent.

"And if you don't end up mated at least you can be the one pointing your finger and laughing" Penelope pointed out and Eloise grinned at her.

"See Benedict, Penelope is still on my side even if she's all gooey over you." Eloise quips, laughing.

They all lounge around chatting until Daphne and Simon turn up, and with a grim look at his mother, she nods and ushers the younger of the Bridgerton's from the room. Even Eloise is forced out with Augie on her hip, which she immediately takes offence to until Franchesca saves Augie from her awkward hold. When it's clear they've gone outside to the garden his mother closes the doors to the drawing room they had gathered in and turns to face them all.

"Now," she says "what is wrong?"

Anthony is the one to say it.

"Portia is invoking the right of Confirmation for Penelope." His voice is harsh, and his mother gapes at the news.

"I- I don't understand, why? She was happy with the money she had received, was she not?" his mother frets, and she turns to look at Penelope in aghast. Gareth takes his mother by the hand and gently pulls her down to sit between him and James.

"Let them speak Vi," he says softly, and his mother closes her mouth with a snap.

"Are you okay with the people in this room being made aware of what you told us Pen?" Colin asks her softly before his brother can say anything more, and she looks up at him gratefully, a rueful smile on her face.

"Yes," she said in answer "I'm not really sure we could properly allow for there to be a fruitful discussion on this without them knowing- I don't want to be the one explaining it- It's too much." She looks down at her hands and Benedict clasps hers in his. Colin seats himself beside her and draws her to his side. Daphne and Simon take that as their cue to sit as well, finding themselves in two of the armchairs that are pressed together.

"What is this all about?" Daphne asks, brows creased in worry "All we know is that we received a missive to be here today." Simon nodded along with her words, legs crossed and leaning his chin on one hand as he surveyed the room. Anthony cleared his throat a little before leaning forward in the armchair he had taken beside Benedict, he looked tired as he ran his hands through his hair.

"We believe" Anthony says haltingly "that Portia wants to gain medical control over Penelope so that she can isolate her and make money from her heat pheromones being illegally collected and sold to become pheromone enhancers." There's a beat of silence while they take that in.

"With all due respect," Daphne says after a moment, "I am not sure I fully understand what that means- I know Lady Crane had tried using them to ensnare Colin but I'm not entirely certain how they come about- What does it mean to illegally collect heat pheromones?"

"It would mean somebody coming into an Omega's nest during their heat to collect their heat pheromones while they aren't in the right mind to consent to the collection of them," James says gruffly, deliberately evading the use of the word slick.

Simon clears his throat as he adjusts his vest.

Daphne is clearly still confused because she next asks "But how do they collect the heat pheromones? Do they draw blood? Do they have a way of capturing an Omega's heat scent?"

"Slick Daph, they mean that a person will come in and presumably forcibly collect an Omega's slick," Simon says tightly, glaring at James. "It does her no good mincing words James," he says with a nod of his head toward the older man "She is capable of understanding the full ramifications of what this means- Any of our children could end up as Omega and parents need to understand the full scope of what it means to be the parent of one." Simon sends an unfathomable look toward their mother, and she blushes a little, looking away from the Alpha's steely gaze. There was clearly a story there.

"How are we sure this is Portia's intentions?" his mother asks at last, once the hue of her cheeks is no longer crimson, "I know her parenting of Penelope has not been the best- But I fail to see this as a length she would go to."

"We suspect she has those intentions because she allowed their family physician to do so during Penelope's first heat- Anthony made some enquiries and it has become clear that this man has been doing this to other Omega and creating his own pheromone enhancers." Benedict says darkly, "And while we would love to give her the benefit of the doubt on this for Penelope's sake and believe that she holds an ounce of motherly instincts for Penelope, it was made clear that Portia was in the room when this happened, and she allowed betas into Penelope's room to hold her in position while their doctor made the collection."

Colin didn't even have to look around the room to see the rest of the people in it were as pale and drawn-looking as his mother after that explanation.

"I- I can't even begin to understand the motive behind this," his mother said quietly, "what would make her think this was acceptable?" she shakes her head as though in denial, eyes glassy as she contemplates the idea of it.

"She had Pen in heat cuffs" Colin adds, squeezing Penelope to him when she stiffens at his side "We know she never held Pen in any regard because of her status as a Beta, and that regard did not inch its way into her heart even after Penelope presented as an Omega- She wasn't allowed to nest, there was no safety or comfort offered to her despite how frightening the entire thing must have been for her, I know you wish to see the best in people mother" he shakes his head at this "but sometimes it is just not in their nature to be good."

Daphne has a hand to her mouth, and Simon reaches to her and takes her free one into his. His mother slumps in her seat, worrying her hands.

"If it isn't obvious, I do intend on putting my full support behind you in this" Simon says after a moment, and Anthony nods at him gratefully. "I can get a few of the other Lords behind us too" he continued after a moment, "I know Lord Debling is likely to be sympathetic, Lord Corning is an amenable sort of man - young but eager to follow suggestions."

"Lady Danbury has a fair bit of pull too," his mother said from her position between Gareth and James. "I have no doubt she would be just as upset over Portia's intentions." She spared a glance at Penelope before looking at Anthony who stands and paces before the fireplace. Penelope tracks him with her eyes, biting her lip.

"If I may" Penelope says tentatively, everyone's attention snaps to her and she swallows nervously "I may have a way of finding out the reason for my Mama's meddling" She clears her throat a little as she eyes Benedict's hand in hers.

"No," Anthony says curtly, and she narrows her eyes at him in indignation. He holds a placating hand out to her before walking to her so he can drop to her knees before her. "If you go over" She looks away at this but he drags her gaze back to his when he grasps her by the chin to tilt her face back toward his "If you go over there Penelope, she can use it against you when the petition goes through, it would be a mark against us if you seek them out. If you are caught there, Omega, without either of us to accompany you, you will likely be taken into custody and boarded at an Omega clinic until a decision has been reached. We cannot risk that" he shakes his head as though the mere idea is too much for him to contemplate "We cannot risk you."

Her shoulders fall from the tight hold she had them in and her face loses some of the pinched anger from it.

"I don't know how else to stop this" she says, voice breaking and Anthony brings his hands up to cup her face in his hands. He rubs his thumbs along the apples of her cheeks and looks at her, eyebrows turned up until a crease forms between them, face earnest.

"It is not on you to fix this Penelope, we are a pack now, let us shoulder this burden for you- let us protect you, please." Her nod is almost imperceptible but the smile that graces his brother's face is telling. Anthony kisses her forehead as he stands.

"I think we ought to table this discussion for now, we have a game plan, no?" Benedict says, looking around the room. There are nods from everyone and his lips tilt up at the side in a half smile before he claps his hands and stands "Good, now may I suggest we find the rest of this brood of ours and make sure everyone is getting along?"

There's a momentary pause before everyone gets up from their seats and makes their way outside. Eloise is lounging in the grass reading to Augie who seems more happy to be pulling tufts of grass from the ground only to sprinkle the pieces onto the pages of Eloise's book.

"You know Augustus Edward Hastings, I am trying to teach you the intricacies of Omega liberation," she says, book snapping closed around the grass Augie had sprinkled onto it. He smiled, bottom teeth poking through his gummy grin as he clapped grassy hands onto Eloise's face. Colin bit back a snort of laughter at the withering look on Eloise's face. Penelope squatted next to them and Augie held his hands out to her happily, and she took him into her arms.

"Hello Mr August," she said, standing with the toddler in her arms "It is so very good to see you again young sir- Last time I saw you, you were tiny, red-faced and crying." Augie grasped her pointer finger, and Colin found himself drifting toward them. He runs a hand over the tight curls of Augie's hair. His little nephew looks up at him briefly before returning his attention to Penelope's hand. Augie wasn't yet speaking, and he knew Simon fretted over it. He shoots a look toward his brother-in-law and then back to his nephew, he wasn't particularly worried, there was a spark in Augie's eyes. He was more an observer than a doer.

He cocks his head to the side and watches his mate, and when she catches him staring, she smiles in that way of hers that made his whole world brighten.

He knew there was something he could do to occupy her, hopefully, brighten her day as much as she brightened his.

Later when they are home, he takes her by the hand and leads her off to a room he had found and set aside within the plans for updating Bridgerton house. There was still a fair bit of work to be done, shelves to be built in, paint to be chosen, and furnishings to be picked out. Well, except for the main one, of course, one which he had found when searching through the furniture that had been stored from previous Viscounts.

There was one that had stood out, a little outdated, the mahogany desk had captured his attention with its intricately carved cabriole-style leg. It was delicate but sturdy and he thinks she would appreciate it as much as he had when he had found it.

When he opens the door to the room he doesn't expect much from her, it is only a bare room with a desk in the centre but she turns and gives a bemused look, his hands find her waist as he walks her to the desk. He lifts her by the waist to sit her on it and steps between her legs as she grasps him by the lapels of his unbuttoned vest.

"What is this room for?" she asks coyly "Did you bring me here for privacy while you took me against this desk?" she pats the wood beneath her and he gives the desk and her a speculative look before breaking into a grin.

"While that idea has merit," he says in answer "and I may take you up on it, but this room, Lady Whistledown, will be where you can write and take shelter from us if you need some time alone- We're updating a few things around the house and this room is slated to have shelves input on the wall behind the desk for books and whatever trinkets you might collect" he looks around the room and her eyes are alight with keen interest as she looks around it with him.

"What about a window seat?" she asks shyly, looking up at him through her eyelashes, he cages her in his arms and smiles down at her.

"What an excellent idea, we can put shelves on the window side of the room and have it nestled between them," he says, imagining her perched on one surrounded by books and he can't help the way he softens at the idea. "I will let Anthony know so plans can be updated" he murmurs before turning to her again and pinning her with a look. "Now how would you like to christen this room and this" he pats the desk "Sturdy desk Viscountess?"

She looks at him slyly, "I don't know, do you think you would like to kneel and eat your supper first?"

His blood thrums through his body at the suggestion and he takes it as an invitation to kiss her until she is half lidded and panting. He slides the sleeves of the nightgown she had been changed into for the sheer comfort of it from her shoulders and captures the pretty pink peak of one of her breasts in his mouth, biting at them until they are red and shiny from his mouth. His hands push the skirts of her nightgown up her legs, the silky feel of her skin brings a groan to his mouth as he slides to his knees and nudges her legs further apart.

She smells so strongly of ripe strawberries, rosemary and lilac that he knows she is swollen and leaking slick all for him. He looks up into her eyes and gently pushes her down to lie upon the desk by sliding a hand up her front until she grasps it in hers, twining their fingers together as he sucks at his mark on the creamy expanse of her thigh. Sipping kisses dot her thighs until his mouth finds her soaked and hot, the gentle pulse of her swollen clit betraying just how completely gone for him she was.

He lathes a lick over it before pulling back enough to blow a gentle breath over it. She whines, her free hand finding his hair. Her nails are on his scalp as she tugs at his thick hair and it has his eyes almost rolling back into his head until a sharp tug reminds him why he is here. His tongue finds her dripping center again and he moans into her flavour on his tongue. Her thighs clench around his head and he grins as he unapologetically feasts on her sweetness.

She gasps out his name when he brings his free hand into play and roughly plunges two fingers into her, knowing she likes it like that, loves being finger fucked as he sucks her swollen clit between his lips in a way that has her crying out and jerking in his hold. He curls his fingers up ever so slightly as he fuck her with them to stimulate that spot inside her that- And ah, there it is. Her back arches from the desk and the small scream he wrings from her is almost as satisfying as the way she soaks his face in her slick as she comes. Her orgasm ebbs out, and he stands when she tugs his head up by his hair. He purrs at the feeling of her doing that, finding he likes having his hair pulled almost as much as he enjoys pulling hers. She tugs him down into a kiss and fumbles with the closure of his pants before she makes a sound of triumph and pulls him free from his confines.

He pulses in her hot little hand as she guides him into her and she pulls back from the kiss to stare up at him in an intense way when she notches him into her heat. When he slides him into her a small crease comes between her brows that he is sure he mirrors on his own. Pushing into her heat has him moaning lowly and he watches every micro expression that flitters across her beautiful face as he thrusts into her steadily. There are no words for the indescribable feedback loop of pleasure that swims through their bond, he almost can't breathe for it overwhelms his very senses. He picks up his pace, thrusting into her until the desk is rocking beneath them too- It could break for all he could care at this moment. He is consumed by her, utterly ensnared by the blinding gold of her in their bond, a rumble rattles from his chest in a growl and his canines descend, and he is not sure precisely why until she smiles up at him and he catches the sharp of her Omega fangs in that grin. He shoots a pang of alarm down the pack bonds he shares with his brothers because.

Because, fuck.

He's going into rut.

His knot catches as he hunches over her to snap at the crook of her neck and sink his fangs into her. He growls at the flavour of her on his tongue and she pulls him in closer, heels pressing into his back until he is rutting into her roughly, knot catching with each press of him into her until he is howling out as his orgasm crashes over him and mingles with her own as she pulses around him, wringing his cock, his knot locking into her as he grinds his hips into hers. The pleasure of it is almost painful as they shudder through their mutual orgasm. She is making soft sounds into his neck but he is gone, so gone he doesn't even notice when the door crashes open and a dishevelled Anthony and Benedict stand in the doorway.

He lets out a warning growl at them, and then a snarl when Anthony goes to take a step into the room. He glares at his brothers, cradling Penelope in his arms, shielding her from their view as he grinds his knot into her with little pulsing thrusts of his hips. She cries out beneath him, fingernails digging into his back until crescent-shaped marks are left behind in their wake. She seizes up in another orgasm, and he looks down at her and peppers her pretty face with kisses before licking up a tear that leaks from her eye as she sobs through her pleasure, too knot drunk to make sense of what is happening.

"Well, fuck" Benedict says, watching Colin warily from the doorway where he and Anthony are camped until Colin comes down from the first wave of rut high.

"Well, fuck indeed" Anthony intones, lips pursed

Notes:

Portia is just out here being messy again, ain't she? but hey! Now we're getting into the meat of this story and I can't wait to show you where I am going with this. Also I absolutley had to end this on a Polin moment my sweet babes needed to fuck it out after that carriage scene because PHWAAr.

Chapter 7

Notes:

This is a doozy and all in Pen's pov friendo's, sorry it took so long, there was just a lot of content I needed to push through on this one in order to get to the next part of the story.

Just a heads up for anyone uncomfortable with it, there is talk of somnophilia in this chapter, but it's done off page. I was debating whether or not I should include it but I had so much else that needed to be input in order to move on with the story that it had to be cut.

Chapter Text

When she finds herself again she is pinned to the desk, the surface of it hard and unyielding beneath her, she can't help the groan of discomfort that escapes her. Colin's knot has released and she wiggles her hips a little from under him as he makes a sound of displeasure at being jostled. She turns her head to the side and catches the sight of Benedict and Anthony leaning against the doorway chatting with each other and she has a moment of clarity.

"Colin," she rasps, and the deep rumbling growl that erupts from him vibrates her chest. She pushes a little at his shoulder and he eases off her enough for her to prop up on her elbows. He's all pupils, his hair is mussed and his lips are swollen from how they'd been pressed to her body. But there's something wrong.

She closes her eyes and prods at their bond and a rush of 'Mine mine MINE' crashes over her from his end of it. It's almost as if-

Her thoughts are interrupted when he's ripped from her and she's swept into Anthony's arms.

"Calm, brother" Anthony alpha barks at Colin who is trying to wrench himself from Benedict's grip. It doesn't work. Penelope's eyebrows crease as she watches Colin growl and thrash. "He's in rut," Anthony says to her, spinning with her still in his arms so he can dash to the door. Seconds later, after a shout from Benedict, Colin chases after them. Benedict is not far behind, and Anthony in a fit of inspiration kicks over what was surely a priceless vase in his pursuit of evading Colin who snarls in aggravation. There's a curse and a tussle from behind them and Penelope looks over Anthony's shoulder in time to see Benedict tackle Colin from behind. Then Anthony whips around a corner and she can no longer see the fighting brothers. When they finally make it to the Omega suite his chest is heaving and his heart is hammering but at least she is somewhere comfortable. He sets her down carefully in her bed and she looks up at him, confusion written on her face as he paces to the door and promptly locks it.

"What do you know of an Alpha's rut?" Anthony asks, still breathless from the chase.

"I-" she shuts her mouth and scours her memory for it but she's only ever heard the word whispered about. "Nothing?" is what she comes back with, cringing a little. Anthony huffs out a sigh and paces a little.

"Right," he murmurs "Our fault, that." Anthony turns to her and squats beside her, elbows propped on his knees as he runs his hands through his hair. "What you need to know is that this is basically an Alpha's version of a heat if you will. If an Omega does not conceive during their Heat, a rut will usually take care of that. There are a few things that can trigger a rut," A loud bang comes from the door and Anthony winces, shooting a look over his shoulder before continuing. "Usually we can tip into a rut during a heat, but sometimes there are extenuating circumstances- Like if an Alpha feels as though the bond with their Omega is under threat, which is likely what is happening here." Anthony closes his eyes and breathes through his nose before delving into the last bit, the most important bit of this "It, much like your heat will have his hindbrain riding him- He will attend to your needs above all else, it is the nature of an Alpha to do so but his Alpha nature is riding him now and he's more likely to use his Alpha bark if he feels you need it but he would never, ever do something to compromise your health."

"Okay," she says and looks anxiously at the door when there is another bang against it, and she can't help the flinch when there is a crash of something and Benedict shouts something at somebody "How do I help him?" she asks and Anthony smiles at that.

"Nothing if this is too much for you, Sweetheart," he says softly, soothing a hand over her hair "We can lock him in an Alpha rutting room, we have one of those built near the wine cellar because when you first reveal as an Alpha tipping into a rut is triggered just by being near a nice smelling Omega," He smiles a little wryly "or a pretty little Beta, rather embarrassing really."

"No," she says right away, shaking her head at the thought "No Alpha of mine will be locked away while he is in need- How long will this last?"

"Likely only the night; He should be back to rights in the morning. Ben and I will leave you to it until dinner, he might be a little less possessive by that time, but until then if you need us for anything, or change your mind at any point let us know by touching the bond" Anthony says "And, if I did not make this clear Penelope, he will be trying his darndest to breed you and scent claim you" he swallows, jaw ticking "all you have to do is enjoy and use your Omega instincts when you're unsure- Now, do you think you're ready for him?" he eyes her hair still up in the braided bun it had been in when Colin had interrupted her getting changed into her night dress for comfort. She looks over his shoulder at the door and nods "Yes, and please, I don't wish to be rutted into the bed with pins poking my scalp" She fingers a piece of her hair fondly before looking back up at him with a smile. He smiles back and holds out his hands for her, she takes them and he pulls them both to their feet before circling to her back where he starts to pull the pins from her hair. She suppresses a purr at the feel of the whisper of his hands through her hair. Penelope tilts her head back to look up at Anthony and he smiles down at her in turn. Once her hair is free she moves to take her nightgown off but he stills her hands with a laugh. "He should at least work for it a little," he says cheekily before shifting her hair from her shoulder so he can kiss his mating mark. She shivers under his lips and he pulls away, cupping her cheek. "Remember," he says sternly "The moment it gets too much or you are in need of something, touch Ben's or my bond and we will be there as soon as possible."

"Of course" She nods at him and he strides to the door and rolls his shoulders back before flinging it open. Colin is there within seconds and he shoves Anthony out of the way with a growl and stalks into the room and it's as though the air is stolen from her lungs. His hair and clothing are mussed, buttons missing from his waistcoat, he had obviously been in a tussle. The high points of his cheeks were red and he was panting. The way his green eyes burned in rings of fire around his wide pupils. His gaze was locked on her and she took a step back, feeling an awful lot like prey to his predator. He followed her step back with a step forward and she stepped back onto the recessed bed. She spins on her foot as though to run from him but he's at her back within seconds, he buries his face into her neck at her scent gland and groans into her skin as his teeth find the mark there. His arms band around her and pull her to him and she can't help the gasp that escapes her when his need for her presses to her back.

"Penelope" he husks out "Oh, Penelope- The things I am going to do to you little Omega" his words end in a growl as he reaches down to his booted calf and pulls a dagger from the top of the boot. Her breath stutters in her chest as he trails it up her body before hooking it into the neck of her nightgown to cut the fabric from her body. She shivers in his arms as he does so- Since when did he carry a dagger? He tosses it aside and wrenches the remains of her nightgown from her shoulders. "Don't be scared Omega" he says, spinning her in his arms so he can look down at her and she looks pointedly at the dagger. He looks over at it on the edge of the bed before looking back at her "That," he says helpfully "Is for protection."

"Colin," she says and takes a step back from him, he's being far more vocal than she ever remembered being during her heat, his eyes dip down to her breasts and she narrows her eyes at him. She considers snapping her fingers to gain his attention back to her face but his face says everything she needs to know, he is struck dumb by them. She looks down at them herself and cups them in her hands, they spill over her fingers and his eyes follow her movements as she pinches one rosy nipple and rolls it between her thumb and forefinger. He falls to his knees as though his strings had been cut and shuffles toward her, she allows him to come to her. When he is pressed to her, he looks up at her as though he were a supplicant at her altar. It's a heady thing that makes her perfume and her slick drip between her legs.

She drops her hands from her breasts to run a hand through his hair and cup his upturned face. She tilts it up further and he grips the swell of flesh where her arse meets the back of her thighs. His hands burn her skin deliciously and she pulls in a stuttering breath at it. "It suits you, Alpha," she says quietly "Being on your knees for me." He gives her a wicked smile in return for her comment and kisses the skin of her belly before he wraps his arms around her thighs and flips her into a lying position. She falls with a yelp, thankful to be landing on the cloud softness of her bed before he crawls on top of her, kissing his way up her body as he goes.

"Darling," he says and there's an odd note to his voice that has her Omega hindbrain almost fizzing "You look good for me on your knees, lying down, on top of me" he bites one of her nipples and lathes his tongue over the sting of it before letting it go to look at her with those green fire eyes "on your hands and knees, lying on your stomach, with my cock in your mouth or in this" his long-fingered hand slides down to her heat "sweet, hot, little, slick cunt of yours." His fingers played with the slick that drips from her, dipping into her before bringing it up to play with her clit. She pulses in need beneath him and the whine that erupts from her almost hurts. He pulls his fingers from her and looks up at her in a devastating way when he sucks the taste of her from them. It is utterly filthy, the way he looks at her and her insides clench painfully around the vast nothing inside her. He pushes himself to his knees and looks down at her "Now Omega, present for me." And oh, there it is. The Alpha bark Anthony had warned her of. She feels the compulsion to follow his words, but she knows she could throw it off if needed. Instead, her Omega rumbles a little purr from her when she flips to her belly and pushes up onto her knees, chest down on the bed with her arms coming to hook together at the small of her back. There's a sound of pure satisfaction from behind her that has her shifting her knees further apart to entice her Alpha to her.

His hand is warm when he finally touches her, he palms her arse so he can see more of her and his hands slide down to find the mating mark he bit into her thigh where he thumbs the teeth marks. It sends a sizzle of pleasure over her and she makes a low sound in the back of her throat. There's the shifting sound of cloth falling to the side with thumps, the thunk of his boots falling to the floor that has her shifting in anticipation, he lets out a low chuckle and the bed dips as he positions himself behind her. Colin slides his cock up and down her heat and she calls his name breathily before he notches himself in her and slowly presses himself into her, running a hand down her back until he cuffs the back of her neck. Her chest rumbles with a pur and the way he presses his fingers into her scent glands on either side of her neck has her pressing back into his touch for more.

"Good girl," he murmurs, "such a good Omega, I wish you could see how well you take your Alpha." He rolls his hips into hers, slow and so very precise in his movements. "I'm going to knot you and fill you up until you leak with me," he says, his voice measured "and then" he leans over her body, caging her, slipping the hand that cuffed the back of her neck into her hair to pull her head up so he can whisper the next words into her ear. "I am going to flip you over and push my slick cock covered in us between your gorgeous tits so I can fuck them too and spill my seed all over them." He groans into her ear and nibbles her lobe "By the time I am done with you Penelope there won't be a part of you that won't smell like me, that won't be claimed by me. You. Are. Mine." He growled out his last three words, and it made her moan as he nipped at her neck.

She shudders beneath him, the press of his cock in and out of her as he fucks her stealing the breath from her lungs, his thrusts have gotten harder but they are still slow and measured. It is driving her to madness.

"Colin," she gasps and he smiles into her skin "I need- I need" Her thought process is broken by a particularly hard thrust into her and she moans.

"Oh, it's okay Omega" he croons, nipping at the skin of her neck "I know exactly what you need because you're mine" he huffs out a breath "and because you're mine I know how to read. Every. Little. Piece. Of. You." He punctuates his words with a series of hard, fast thrusts. The sound of their skin clapping together is sinful and it is as though all her senses have been entirely eclipsed by him. She clenches around him and they both moan, her cunt drips with her need for him making a mess of them both. "Fuck Penelope," he says, his voice a rumble against her neck "Gods you will be the end and beginning of me, I won't last long you are too-" his voice catches and he buries his face into her hair as a seeking hand of his finds her clit "too hot around me, too tight." His countenance is almost pained and she feels the way he feels, their bond is a bright exposed nerve of need flowing between them, golden and bright and so full of feeling it leaves her rendered speechless save little gasps as his fingers blindly stir her into a precipice. A little death. "I am going to fill you so full of me Omega, going to- Gods Penelope, the way you feel on me- I'm going to breed this pretty pussy of yours, catch you on my knot so you have to take every little bit of me." His words are a jumble but they are all completely filthy and all for her. His knot catches inside her and she detonates around him, a high keen erupting from her. It is as though the world has dimmed and all she can feel and see is their bond. She wonders, briefly, if this is how her Alpha's felt during her heat. Did they see this? Did they feel the steady beat of the strand connecting them to her as they knotted her and satiated her Omega? She wishes she had been more cognisant during her heat, so she could have felt this too. He presses his full knot into her as she shudders through this seemingly never-ending orgasm and the way it presses into the walls of her has her eyes rolling into the back of her head, knees finally going lax under her. He cradles her until she is prone beneath him, and rocks his hips into her until he too falls apart and she can feel the way his come fills her up until she is leaking with it around his knot.

Colin's chest heaves against her back as he rolls them to their sides so he can collapse on his shaky limbs too. He kisses her shoulders and sucks a bite into the skin, soothing any sting away with his tongue. He's not as lax as her, cock still hard within her, knot pulsing as she wrings out every last bit of what he has to offer. His hands play over her until his knot deflates enough that he can pull himself from her. He rolled her onto her back and stared down at her, hovering over her and dipping his gaze over every exposed inch of her. She gives him a grin that he returns happily, pushing a lock of hair from her face.

"What are you thinking of?" she asks him and he leans down to kiss her chest, she giggles a little as he rolls on top of her, hiking a leg up over his hip as he works those kisses down to her breasts. She sighs as he cups her and presses them together so he can pull both nipples into his mouth at once. He pulls back a little and blows a stream of cool air on the slick wetness left behind from his mouth.

"I'm thinking," he said, looking up at her from beneath his lashes, "that my Alpha is riding me and I need to make right on that promise to put my cock between these pretty tits and come all over them."

'Well,' she couldn't help but think 'this is unlocking something in me.'

"What would I have to do for that?" she asks, trying to think of the logistics behind the act and the smile he gives her is beatific, bright and almost blinding in its nature. She squints at him a little in return.

"All you need do is lay on your back as you are, hold them together for me," he says, dipping his head to lick at the swell of her breast "and look at me with those beautiful blue eyes of yours." He is still hard, she finds, watching him with half-lidded eyes as he sits on his knees. She gasps as he gathers the mixture of their come on his fingers, pressing it into her scent glands between her thighs and rubbing it into her skin there. He then slicks his cock with it after slipping his fingers into her to gather more of them in his hand. Some distant part of her is almost disgusted but the Omega part of her is belly up and purring at the act, perfectly content with the way he is spreading their mixed scent all over himself. He fucks his fist a few times before slowly slipping her thigh from around his hip. She lets her leg fall, anticipating what is to come. He maneuvers himself until he is straddling her just below her chest and she slides her hands up his thighs, the muscles tense up under her touch before loosening. She watches in fascination as he positions his cock between her breasts, the warmth and silky softness of his skin, the way his thighs press against the wealth of her chest, pushing them up until they damned near touch her chin. His gaze is intense on her as he reaches over to the nightstand where a bottle of neutral oil that was used to help the shine of her hair lay. Neutral oils were used for most Omega beauty products, given that they let their natural perfume shine through rather than artificial. He dripped it over her chest and his cock, and she hissed at the contact of it, it having gone cold where it sat.

"Push them together Omega" he husks out and she follows his direction, the pillowy softness of her breasts enveloping him. He does an experimental thrust and groans before covering her hands in his and pushing them together more tightly. The noise that rumbles from him is pure satisfaction and she can't tear her eyes from his face. His eyelashes flutter as he rolls his hips in a thrust over and over again, biting at his plush bottom lip as he looks down at her. She glanced down at her chest and flushed at the sight of the pink head of his cock plunging in and out of her cleavage. She knew, on a base level, that this was more for him than her, and she was happy to serve him in this way. What she hadn't expected was how erotic it would be to watch him so consumed by her that he could and would fuck any part of her if she allowed it. It was powerful to watch the effect she had on him. His lips were kiss swollen, his cheeks flushed, a sheen of sweat making his tan skin glow under the waning sun that dipped down below the horizon. He was beautiful. He had always been beautiful to her, handsome? Yes, of course, he was a Bridgerton, he could be nothing but handsome. But being beautiful was all him, it was a purely Colin trait that had her swooning in her formative years. He moves one of his hands from her chest and tilts her face back up so he can see her eyes, caressing the apple of her cheek. She turns her face into his palm and kisses it before dropping her chin enough so that she can look him in the eye and tongue the head of his cock when it appears again. He cursed, the hand that was cupping her face winding its way into her hair, grasping the red tresses in a tight hold as he gasped.

"Yes Penelope," he rumbles out, "that's it sweet girl, god I love those gorgeous blue eyes of yours, look at me sweetheart" Her eyelashes are fluttering as she looks up at him, her breath is coming out in pants. She has to press her thighs together to stave off that empty feeling. This was about him. "I'm-" There's a hitch in his voice and he can't help but roll his head back, the long line of his neck on display as he lost himself in his pleasure "going to spill all over you" his hips stutter in their thrust and he's spending himself between the soft globes of her breasts, his head bent forward again as he catches his breath. He shuffled himself down and nudged her legs apart so he could toss her thighs over his shoulders. He suctions his mouth to her, hands moving up her body so he could rub his come into her breasts and neck, tweaking her nipples. Her back bows off the bed as he sucks her clit into his mouth and tongues at it rapidly. He rips an orgasm from her, it's so fast and dirty that she barely has any control over her limbs as she shudders through it in his hold. He holds her gaze as she comes down from it, panting as he lets her legs fall from his shoulders gently. His face is a slick mess but it doesn't worry her when he crawls back up her body to kiss her. All she can taste is the mixture of strawberries and caramel on his tongue and she moans into it, chasing his mouth when he pulls away to fall to his side beside her on the bed. They look at each other and she can't help the giddy smile that breaks over her face at the sight of her, he smiles back and pulls her into his arms.

"Should probably clean off" she says, voice muffled by his chest. He hums, kissing her head. "Gotta wash your come off my chest before it dries" she amends and a rumble of a growl erupts from her chest.

"No," is his bit-out reply, like he can't help the word as it escapes him "Sorry Pen, I think we'll be able to wash it off after dinner but right now my alpha sees Ant and Ben as a danger to his claim so he needs it to stay on until they're gone." He huffs a little, clearly disgruntled by his base urges taking over. "Believe me, sweetheart, if I could not do this I'd be happy- You were just as bad during your heat, had to keep your slick on us until you slept otherwise your Omega would get all territorial and pouty."

She hadn't remembered that part, well, not wholly until he said so. She remembered all the sex, how they tupped her until she no longer knew what was left or right but the more instinctual parts of it were all a blur. "That's okay," she said sleepily, watching the sky darken outside the window. "I suppose there will always be parts of this that will surprise me, even if it gets explained to me it will still likely surprise me, learning about something and experiencing it are two different things."

They're quiet for a while, just basking in each other's presence, the bond between them humming. Anthony, Benedict and Colin's pack strands were like bright gold tethers, there was no distance between them now she was packed in. The Bond was like this nebulous thing, so distinct in nature when you looked at it but so big and so endless it was hard to put a word to it. She thinks, if there is magic in the world this is it.

There's a tentative knock on the door, and a growl erupts from Colin, he pulls her to him, rolling over the top of her until he is crouched on all fours and caging her to the bed. His gaze is fixed on the door in a glare. She reaches a hand out and runs it over his face, grasping his chin so she can gently maneuver his gaze to hers. She cups his face softly and a purr rumbles from her chest. He melts into the palm of her hand and drops his face until it is buried between her breasts where he breathes the scent of the both of them in.

"It is safe now!" she calls out and the door opens to Ben carrying a tray of dinner, roast lamb and vegetables with curling steam over it. Her stomach growls at the smell of it and a sound of mirth escapes her. She hadn't even realised how hungry she was until she smelled their dinner.

"All good here?" Ben asks as he sets the tray beside the bed, Colin rumbles at him warningly and his brother holds his hands up placatingly "Alright Col, steady on. Our sweet little Omega needs sustenance, and she is drenched in your scent- There is nothing to fear from me."

"Ugh," Colin mutters, pulling his face from her chest with some difficulty. "Sorry Ben, my hindbrain is making me want to punch you." Benedict snorts a little, he looks at Penelope for a moment as though he wants to kiss her but with a pointed growl from Colin, he looks away.

"No need to apologise" Benedict says, pushing himself into standing "You're keeping your head remarkably well for someone in a rut- But I think that has a lot to do with Penelope's Omega being so good at following instructions." He winks at Penelope before blowing a kiss to her.

"Ben?" Colin gritted out, teeth bared.

"Yes, Col?" Ben asked, grinning.

"Kindly fuck off."

Benedict threw his head back and laughed, turning and leaving the room when Colin threw a stray cushion after him. It thunks against Benedict's shoulder and falls to the floor with a thud just before he disappears through the door. Colin sighs before sitting them both up, Penelope in his lap angled just sideways enough to be comfortable and for him to feed them both. He's able to clean her up after they eat, and comfortably full they both snuggle down and sleep. He wakes her throughout the night to fuck and mark her, she's so tired at one point she point blank tells him it's okay to take her while she sleeps. The next time she wakes up the dawn is breaking and she's firmly knotted on his cock, a shivery pleased part of her gets slick over the idea of him sliding into her while she sleeps and she lets out a pleased noise as she wiggles her hips against him. His chest rumbles in satisfaction as he rolls his hips into her, fucking her on his knot until she is screaming and clenching around him in an orgasm that steals the breath from her lungs.

"Hmm," he says, voice raspy, "I think you liked that" his voice is smug and she can't dignify him a response because clearly she did. "You were like a little doll in my arms while I was fucking you, you made the sweetest noises in your sleep- and you came apart on me twice before you woke."

"And what an education that was," comes Benedict's voice from the settee in the corner of the room, she flushes when she opens her eyes blearily and scowls at him a little, he clicks his tongue at her "Don't look at me like that Kitten, I can't help what makes your pretty pussy all wet, you perfumed the moment you woke up and realised that you were knotted in your sleep." He smiles at her toothily when she huffs. "Anyway, breakfast is served, you two- I've got a bath being set up in the washroom and then Anthony wants to have a pack meeting in his office." He leaves them to it, whistling as he goes. Colin refrains from throwing another cushion at him, but only because Penelope takes the one he picked up to use as a projectile from his hand before he can.

They eat breakfast, and after they are finished he bundles her into the washroom that adjoins the Omega suite. They share a tub and he happily yaps at her about the pool-like thermae he has visited in Rome as he cleans her off. Tilly is waiting for her when they emerge with a dress out for her to wear. It's quite pretty, and one of the frillier ones that had been made for her while they had been at Aubrey Hall. It naturally fell into soft pleats, the bottom of it scalloped in a few layers of lace. There was a plated ribbon the same soft blue of the dress that cut under her bust. When she was dressed into it she was quite pleased to notice the delicate little blue flowers stitched into the muslin. She was handed mesh gloves which she pulled on and a shawl that matched her dress and her hair was done up prettily. A few curls framed her face, and Tilly gently blushed her cheeks and lips with beetroot she had turned into a cosmetic.

"Not that you need it much my Lady, you are very clear-eyed and your skin rosy- You're not" Tilly eyes her, "no" she hums "I don't think, not yet anyway." Penelope frowns a little at her. Tilly flushes a little under her scrutiny and says after a moment "In the family way that is."

Penelope smiles at her softly "If I am not yet, I have no doubt it will be soon." Tilly nods, squeezing her shoulders as she grins at Penelope.

Soon Penelope finds herself standing outside Anthony's office, her pack is chatting away inside and she puts a soothing hand to her middle as she breathes through a sudden feeling of anxiety, She pushes it away as well as she can and opens the door. Anthony and Benedict look up at her when she comes in, and she closes the door after her with a 'thunk,' Colin is perched on one of the armchairs, feet up on a cocktail table and he smiles at her, but before he can gesture her over Benedict holds a hand out to her and she takes it only for him to pull her into his lap. Colin scowls at him and Benedict laughs in his face.

"Yeah no Col, after what you put me through yesterday I think I deserve some time with Penelope in my lap. I had to Alpha bark the beta footmen away so they didn't become collateral in your rut" Benedict says and Colin manages to look a little cowed at the reminder of his behaviour during his rut. Anthony clears his throat and straightens from where he had been hunched over his desk eyeing papers strewn over its surface.

"Right, now that we're all here," he says, tugging his coat from the back of his straight-backed leather padded seat so he could throw it on "We're going to promenade, the more the ton sees us interacting healthily the less likely people will be in favour of Portia." Benedict sighed in disgust from beneath her and she gave him a look which he returned before rolling his eyes and shrugging.

"Sorry pussy cat, never been overly fond of a promenade- Though now that we have you that may change." He kisses the tip of her nose and she blushes a little.

"You could always do something that would entertain you- Ride your horse, take a book," she says raising her eyebrows at him, and he gives her a contemplating look before grinning.

"You know my dear, you are right, I might do En plein air," Benedict murmured, and Anthony held his hand to her. She takes it and he helps her to her feet.

"If you want to do that Benedict, you had best gather your supplies quickly- I wish to leave soon so we can set ourselves up and get comfortable before the rest of the brood arrive- All of them will be there with us. The more eyes on Penelope the better." Anthony says, giving Benedict a look that seems to light a fire under his brother's arse because the next moment Benedict was hoofing it out of the room to gather what was needed. Colin stood and shrugged on his long brown coat, his hair was artfully tousled and part of her wanted to bury her hands into his thick hair and mess it up on him. He catches her looking at him and winks, she glares at him in return and spins on her heel to leave the room.

When they make it to the entry room Benedict isn't there yet so they have to idle while awaiting him. He skids into the room a few minutes after them with a coat thrown on and a plein air easel box hanging off one shoulder. Hanging over the other arm is a hooded cape made from cotton, the same colour as her dress with fringed edges. She looks up at him bemusement.

"It's cold," he says plainly, marching over to her to shake it out and place it over her shoulders, he clasps it together at her neck with a pretty ornate clasp. She looks a little exasperatedly at her shawl.

"And what," she says "Am I to do with my shawl now?" He slips it from her arms and throws it over the banister of the staircase, before turning to her again to brush his hands down her shoulders to her hands which he holds in his reverently.

"There now, all sorted kitten, and you look utterly adorable- Practically edible I would say excep-" she puts her hand to his mouth to quieten him and she hears a mumble "except I'm not a cannibal" which she can't help the incredulous look she throws at him for. He shrugs, and Anthony clears his throat in annoyance.

"Right, if you two are done we should be off," Anthony says, a command obvious in his voice as he adjusts his cuffs before leading them from the house to the waiting carriage. Colin groans as he clambers in, folding himself into a seat beside Anthony as Benedict helps Penelope into the carriage. Once they are all settled they are off. Penelope watches as they leave Grosvenor Square and then the main thoroughfare as it passes them by. All too soon they are at the Serpentine, there's a few people about the gardens, a couple lounging in the sun on a blanket near the river's edge. She takes it all in as she watches servants set up the canopies for the members of the ton to lounge under while there. Theirs was already set up, a footman waiting there with his hands behind his back as though to deter anybody else from approaching the space. Her Alpha each disembarked from the carriage before Anthony extended a hand to help her down. She took it gratefully and stepped down out of it, a little wobbly on her feet but Anthony righted her and curled her arm around his. Benedict took up her other side and Colin walked a few steps behind them as they moved toward their canopy. There was a table set up with a spread of fruit and cheese, lemonade in a pitcher and several glasses available. Cushioned seats spread out around it, enough for the whole of the family.

Benedict picked a spot near the canopy to set himself up, his setup simple as he squinted at the body of water that twisted through the park. A couple of boats were in the water, one with a lady twirling a parasol in her hand as a man rowed smoothly across the water. The morning sun dappled on the water, water birds picking their way through the mud near the bank. It was an idyllic day. Anthony and Colin sit on either side of her and she watches Benedict as he sets about mixing paint, taking a strawberry that Colin hands her and eating it. They sit there comfortably for another fifteen minutes before the rest of the Bridgerton's make it there. Ben was making headway on his painting and Penelope had been sitting with Colin's arm draped over her shoulder as they all chatted when she first spotted them. Violet was leading the way, Gregory's arm linked through hers as Eloise and Francesca walked behind them. She perked up at the sight of Eloise and shared a look with Anthony, he nodded at her with a huff of amusement and she got to her feet and made a beeline for her friend.

"Penelope!" Eloise exclaimed, linking her arm with Penelope's as she wheeled them around to walk away from the canopy. Penelope shot a look over her shoulder at Anthony and Colin, they murmured something between them before Colin stood from his seat and started to trail after them from a distance. She smiled at him and he quirked one back at her before she turned her attention to her friend. "We must talk in private," her friend said, marching them off the path and under a secluded pergola covered in vines. Eloise was twitchy as she nervously looked around, and Penelope peeked out to see Colin had wisely chosen to idle nearby but out of earshot of them.

"Whatever is the matter El?" she asks, squeezing her friend's arm, Eloise drops her arm from Penelope's and paces back and forth chewing on a knuckle as she gathers her thoughts.

"You must not judge me too harshly," Eloise said, spinning on her foot to face Penelope "It is just, with you now an Omega and mated to my brothers and Francesca being courted by the Kilmartin pack I was feeling left out And I mean, you were going to be my beta companion when I become a spinster and now I don't have anybody really and I-"

"Eloise!" Penelope interrupted her, "Sit, and let us untangle this mess of thoughts you are pouring out at me." She took Eloise by the hand and dragged her to one of the park benches to sit. Eloise slumped into the seat next to Penelope, twiddling her thumbs as she sighed. "Now," Penelope said, turning just so in her seat so she could look at the side of Eloise's downturned face. "To straighten out what you have said thus far, you are feeling lonely?" Eloise shrugged, a little pout on her lips "And maybe a little left out?"

"Well, I mean, it's not as though I wish to be mated and with pups but I miss" she searched for the right word "being a part of something? Having people who understand me?" she shrugs again, turning her face to catch Penelope's eye now. "I know you don't approve, but at my loneliest, I may have contacted Theo." Penelope's face grew grim at this, but she bit the inside of her cheek to straighten her features and cleared her throat a little.

"I only worry that your involvement with Theo will cause you both more strife than happiness should you go down that path," she says gently "I understand you feel a great deal for him, I just ask that you are cautious about how you go about it, and think about how it may affect Hyacinth's prospects should it come out." Eloise nodded stiffly.

"I understand a little more about that now, Daphne may have made it clear to me when she found one of my letters to him. But I cannot seem to help myself." She says, voice cracking a little. "I did an awful lot of reading while you were away- Did you know that it is perfectly acceptable for two Omega- Even one of a lower social class- To be together as long as an Alpha packs and mates them both?" She bites her lip and looks down at her fingers, playing with them "And if I can find us an Alpha pack to take us in we could be together without a ruinous scandal. I will find us a pack that lives in the country to avoid too much tumult for Hyacinth's debut when it happens and maybe by then any scandal would have been forgotten."

Penelope frowned, absorbing all the words. "Do you have an Alpha pack in mind?" she asked. Eloise perks up at this, smile bright and toothy. Penelope worried momentarily what scheme could be up Eloise's sleeve.

"I do- Sir Phillip Crane and our footman John" Eloise says and Penelope choked on her spit a little "It's ingenious, Marina has run off and left Sir Crane with her pups, and there is nothing he can do because she made it clear that their wedding was not valid because they did not mate and Oliver is set to inherit as Sir Crane's named heir- John is... Well, he's been there for every moment of my and Theo's story and I find him reliable and well-mannered. I do not doubt he would be an appropriate Alpha to add to a pack. And look, they don't even have to have pack strands! If Phillip as the primary Alpha were to bite John it would provide a similar connection."

Penelope did not have it in her to point out to Eloise that an Alpha biting another Alpha into the pack was an inherently sexual thing to do. Benedict had been very thorough on how packs could form, and he had pointed out several packs that had been far from the norm. While she had hopes for Eloise's future her plan was outlandish at best. One thing stuck out to her like a sore thumb however, Marina had left Sir Crane? Her stomach roiled at the idea of her cousin in potential danger because she did not wish to be tied to the man. And, if anything, was that a point against Sir Crane? Was there something wrong that he had done to have caused Marina to leave and abandon her pups?

"And!" Eloise continued, and Penelope focused back on what her friend was saying "Sir Crane has already sent me a tentative yes to the idea!"

"What?" Penelope asked, a little dumbfounded, "he agreed to this idea?" Eloise's smile fell as she caught the look on Penelope's face and her shoulders slumped a little as though chastised.

"I may have also reached out to Phillip- Sir Crane- When I learned of what happened with Marina. He needs the support of a pack right now in order to bring function back into his life. He is keen on the pups having an actual Omega to help soothe them, Daphne said they're of an age where not having an Omega influence could cause behavioural issues and nannies are Beta to not threaten the pack Omega of the household that hires them." Eloise looked at Penelope imploringly, and Penelope blinked back a little dumbly.

"That is a lot El" she breathed, "and I would sincerely ask you to consider talking to your mother or at the very least Daphne about your plans. Sir Crane needs to meet Theo and John, and am I to assume that Theo and John are acquainted?" Eloise brightened at that.

"I've already thought of that," she said proudly "Sir Crane is doing a presentation on the sustainability of our current crop production from the tenant farms and how we could implement new ways of getting more yield from the land- He has one day where he is not required to do any speaking and that will be when they all meet, he has even agreed to it."

"And if it doesn't go well?" Penelope asked, and Eloise shrugged.

"Then it is back to the writing board Pen, I will make this work" she answered succinctly and Penelope couldn't help the smile she gave Eloise, she would likely need to at some point tell her pack but for right now- she simply held Eloise's hand and accepted that maybe her friend had to make her own decisions, whether that brought heartache or not, these were decisions she would need to make for herself in the end. Eloise stood abruptly and tugged Penelope up with her, they walked arm-in-arm past Colin who had Gregory chatting at him in a fast-paced deluge of information on how badly he wanted to learn archery over fencing.

"Does it not sound so much more fun brother?" Gregory asked and Colin smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Gregory growled in annoyance, pushing his brother away from him in annoyance.

"Yes, I would say it does- it would beat having your arse handed to you by Anthony like Ben and I have to suffer through every time he wants to get out some aggression," Colin said in answer. He looked up as Penelope and Eloise passed him and smiled, Penelope smiled back at him as they both continued their stroll closer to the river where willow trees canopied the area. The further away from the family they got, the more the back of her neck itched. She turned to Eloise to tell her that they ought to turn back when Eloise stopped dead in her tracks below the reaching branches of one of the willows. A sharp, coppery smell permeated the air mixing with the scent of strawberries, making her gut turn.

"I- Is that a woman sleeping over there?" Eloise asked, clearly confused and Penelope turned her face to where Eloise was gesturing and drew in a sharp breath. There was indeed a woman laying amongst the roots of the willow, her hair a tangle of red around her waxy, pale face. Penelope took a step toward the woman, pulling her arm free of Eloise's tight grip- Eloise made a noise of protest but seemed to shrink away a little once Penelope had pulled away from her. Penelope swallowed around a hard lump in her throat and tentatively stepped forward.

"M- miss?" she called out, voice holding a tremble "Miss, are you okay?" she asked but the closer she got the more obvious it became that her efforts were for naught because when she was close enough she could see blood soaking the woman's hair from a savage looking bite in the side of her neck. Penelope closed her eyes against the sight, trying not to breathe in the scent of blood or the scent of strawberries mixed in with it. Penelope reached down her pack bonds and touched the strands connecting her to her Alpha's. She sent a wave of alarm down the bond and looked over her shoulder at a pale Eloise who looked faint.

"Eloise," she said as calmly as possible "please go make sure your brothers can find us." Eloise nodded numbly and stumbled from under the draping limbs of the willow tree. Once Eloise was out of sight Penelope squatted next to the woman, reaching a trembling hand to her. Her fingertips grazed her skin and she drew in a hiss of breath, she was stone cold to the touch indicating she had been there for a while. It wasn't the first time Penelope had been in contact with death, when she had first started Lady Whistledown from one of the seedier print shops it hadn't been unusual to see the destitute having passed on the street from the cold or hunger- Or even drink. She had seen her father's body for a viewing before his funeral after he had been dressed and made presentable by the undertaker and her father's valet. He had been shrouded but there was only so much they could do for a man missing his hands.

This woman had met just as violent an end as her father, if not more so. It didn't take much of an imagination to understand at least a little of what she had gone through. The skirt of her dress was pulled up around her thighs and there were obvious fingerprints in blood on them, and the vicious bite to her neck was where a mating mark would have gone had she been an Omega. She was a beta, the cloying scent of strawberries not coming from the raised, pinked mark of a scent gland. There was a sheen of oil at the unmarred side of her neck, and a glass perfume bottle was smashed on the ground near where Penelope's skirts fanned out over her feet. She picks up a piece of glass from the shattered bottle and sniffs it, strawberries and an undertone of lemon cake permeated from it. She dropped the piece of glass and with fumbling fingers tugged at the clasp of her cape. It was as she struggled with her clasp that the crash of her Alpha's arriving through the willow tree branches sounded from behind her. She turned to look at them and a noise of distress bubbled out of her at the sight of them.

Anthony took great, striding steps toward her and helped her to her feet before catching her shoulders in his grip. He leaned back a little to assess her, looking all over her face. There was a question there in his eyes and when she shook her head and glanced back at the woman behind her he followed her gaze and stiffened.

"Christ" he murmured, lips pulling thin as he pressed them together in a frown. Benedict ducked around them to see and swore, and Colin followed after, silent as he took the scene in.

"She's a beta," Penelope said after a moment, clearing her throat "She was using a pheromone oil by the looks and smell of it- I could be wrong but it looks like she was hurt by a feral Alpha." Anthony looked at her sharply.

"How did you reach that conclusion?" he asked, and she looked at him grimly.

"I'm good at observing, it's what I do." She said simply, shrugging out of Anthony's tight grip on her shoulders. "There's a broken perfume bottle, and she has oil on her pulse points- but she's missing a scent gland on her neck, the bite mark and" she gestures at the woman, swallowing against the nausea swimming in her stomach "the way her dress is- There's- there are fingerprints on her in blood." She tugged at her clasp again, unable to unlatch it because her hands were shaking so much. "Now for god's sake will somebody help me take my cape off so that I might spare her what little dignity she has left?" Colin moved to her quickly and stilled her hands, she let out a shuddering breath and looked up at him, he rubbed some warmth into the exposed skin of her wrists, the scent of him was calming as she rested her forehead against his chest. He brought her into a tight hold, hugging her to him as she breathed him in. She heard the shifting of somebody taking off their coat and pulled away just enough to see Benedict taking off his coat in order to cover the body of the dead Beta. As he did she took notice of what she was wearing for the first time and drew in a breath.

"She's from the Abernathy household," she said, frowning as she took in the navy blue of her uniformed dress. They were finer than that of a normal maid or scullery maid, she may even be a lady's maid given how well kept her uniform was.

"We need somebody to chase down a watchman or a police officer, christ even a bow street runner would do at this stage" Anthony said, anxiety in his voice as he spoke "Colin, I'm sorry to ask this of you but you are the fastest out of us, the less of a spectacle we can make out of this poor woman's death the better," his jaw ticks as he pauses "she's been through enough without becoming a spectacle for the curious masses, it was only lucky she was found before the morning crowd comes in."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Colin says, tightening his hold on her before dropping a kiss on her forehead. He pulls away and races off, his height making his stride long, eating up the distance to where the carriages were parked. Ben takes up her side, hooking her hand over his elbow so he can walk her from the area. She stumbles a little, feet unsteady beneath her as they slowly make their way out.

"It's okay Kitten, steady now" Benedict says to her quietly as he walks her toward the canopy with the rest of the Bridgertons. "Best you stay on your feet little love" he murmured, "the least amount of attention we draw the better, we need to preserve her dignity." At that, Penelope takes in a steadying breath and straightens her spine as they reach the canopy. He guides her to one of the seats that had been brought out for family members and she takes a fan from her reticule so she can steady herself and breathe through the anxiety that had her feeling like she would faint. Her vision darkened a little and a flask was pressed into her hand. She took it gratefully, looking up at Benedict who guided it to her mouth, she fluttered her fan in her face. She took a sip and nearly spat it back out but with one look from her Alpha she pulled a face and knocked back a mouth full back as fast as she could. "There you go" Benedict said "Put some hair onto your chest sweetness," he grasped her chin and darted his eyes over her face before nodding and leaning forward to kiss her soundly. She leaned into it, and after a moment he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. She smiled and he smiled back at her toothily "That's what I wanted to see" he said, pulling away from her so he could fall heavily into the seat next to her. She looked around the canopy, taking everyone in, Hyacinth and Gregory were picking at each other and Francesca sat next to her mother doing some needlework.

Eloise was tucked up next to Violet, face ghostly white. Penelope knew she had been the only one other than Anthony to have seen their family pack Alpha Edmund die following the fatal bee sting, but she also knew that seeing death like this was hard on anybody, a shock. She reached across the distance between them and took one of Eloise's hands. they were clammy, she could feel it even through her gloves. It takes what feels like hours before Colin comes back with an officer trailing him, Violet snaps her head over to where Hyacinth is starting to stray away from the group, curious about the officer with Colin.

"Hyacinth!" she called out sharply, and the younger girl jumped a little and spun on her foot before stomping back to the canopy.

"I only wish to know what Colin is doing," she said, a pout on her face as she flopped into a seat next to Francesca. Francesca looked away from her needlework toward her younger sister with a frown.

"And if Colin were to want us to know, he would have told us," she says placatingly to her sister. Hyacinth sighed loudly and rolled her eyes at her sister.

"Must you always be so reasonable, Francesca?" Hyacinth asked, and Francesca smiled that small smile of hers back at her sister. Penelope looked away from the sister's back toward the willow where a small gathering of people had started to amass.

"I think," Penelope said after a moment, a frown on her face as she watched Anthony come out from under the branches of the willow tree with a stormy look on his face. "That maybe we ought to head back to our respective homes- I do believe that there is a ball we had all better get rest for today, is there not?"

Violet smiled at this "Oh yes! Lady Danbury's opening ball for the season- It will be your debut as a pack and as the new Viscountess, I'm sure you'll wish for all the rest you need before that." And need it, she did, given the direction her day had gone. She was almost dreading the ball and hoped that they could possibly duck out of it earlier than was fashionable.

Anthony at that moment came over to their canopy again, a look of frustration on his face.

"Right, family" he said clapping his hands together to get everybody's attention "I believe we need to cut this outing short, there is an issue in the park that I believe would impede our visit further" Penelope cringed a little at the way he worded that, but she figures he thought it best not to say anything to the siblings. "I'll be sending a missive to Gareth and James- Please ensure they get it, Mother, it's important," Anthony said, directing his gaze to his mother who nodded. Eloise shot up from her seat beside her mother when Anthony started gesturing for them to get up. Penelope chased after her as she all but ran to the carriages. Penelope tugged on her hand and pulled her to the side, throwing a look over at the rest of the family who were gathering their belongings.

"El-" Penelope began but Eloise swung around to look at Penelope, face white.

"That woman was dead, wasn't she?" Eloise asked abruptly before beginning to pace, hands finding her hair as she fretted.

"Yes," Penelope said gently after a moment. Eloise made a choked noise before whirling back to face Penelope.

"You cannot go tonight," Eloise said suddenly, imploringly as she all but glared at Penelope, Penelope started a little, taken aback.

"I have to go," she said, a little confused.

"But you cannot go!" Eloise all but shouted at her "Don't you understand Penelope? She had red hair and she smelled of strawberries- Sh- She could have been you!" Eloise gestured at her "I may not know the exact details but I caught enough of the conversation the other day- I'm not stupid, I know you're in danger of a feral alpha attack due to scent dependency."

Penelope was stunned. Part of her wanted to dismiss Eloise's fears but another part of her thought of how she had felt eyes on her over the last few days. Surely not?

"I have to go" Penelope said after a moment and Eloise made a noise of frustration at her, Penelope put up a placating hand "I understand you are frightened for me but right now the last thing I should do is stay home. I'm not sure how much you heard but my mother is petitioning to have me removed from your brother's care, if there is even a hint of dissent or of me being mistreated she can gain medical custody of me again."

"Your mother," Eloise spat "is a wretch." Penelope smiled at that, she couldn't help but agree with Eloise's assessment.

"Your brothers won't leave my side, one will always be with me" she said softly "and it is unlikely that if I am being targeted that they will try anything so publically- I'll be sure to stay in well-lit areas with a lot of people around me."

"I'll hold you to that" Eloise said "And don't think for a second that I'll leave your side either." Penelope reached for Eloise's hand and squeezed it gently in hers.

"Thank you El," Penelope said genuinely, she hadn't made the connection between her and the maid, and she wasn't sure that there was a connection beyond her hair colour and the scent but it still had the back of her neck prickling. She glanced back at the gardens of the Serpentine, goose flesh erupting on her skin as she considered the people milling around and the growing crowd around the willows and wondered momentarily if the feral alpha was amongst the crowd to see everything that he had done.

She shuddered and pulled away from Eloise just as Violet caught up with them, the dowager Viscountess squeezed Penelope's shoulder and smiled at her brightly "I hope you're ready for your debut as the new Viscountess my dear" she said, "I know our title isn't high within the peerage but there is a certain level of social influence we hold and should respect. Being seen at Lady Danbury's opening ball is something we deem as important to us both because of the years of friendship she has shown our family and because of her closeness to the Queen" Violet looked furtively at Eloise who had stepped away with an eye roll when he mother started talking about the ball before leaning in a little to speak under her breath to her "And I have no doubt people seeing you dance with your pack and in love will make great strides toward the denial of your mother's petition."

Penelope smiled at Violet softly and nodded "I'm sure I could make room for them on my dance card" she said with a huff of laughter and Violet beamed at her before smacking her arm lightly.

"Oh enough of that now, I think you'll find now that you've bloomed into an Omega- Even one who is now mated that you will find Alphas wanting to add their name to it, mark my words, Penelope, you will be run off your feet," Violet said before pulling away to be helped into the carriage. El followed not long after, following her siblings as they squabbled, with a pointed look at her and Penelope waved at them as the carriage trundled away. Ben closed in next to her before offering her a hand for her to make the steep step into their carriage. Her Alpha followed after her, each had grim looks on their faces.

"What happened after I left?" she asked, and there was a look exchanged between the men before Colin cleared his throat and dropped his elbows onto his knees as he leaned into her space.

"It was confirmed that she was part of the Abernathy household, she is the Ladies maid to their eldest daughter-" his jaw clenched and he swallowed down something before looking down at his clasped hands "They won't be investigating it, and accused her of being a Knot chasing beta who got in over her head" he looked up at Penelope at that. She could tell that it was difficult for him to say out loud, and there was a rage in his eyes at the words. She wasn't surprised by this revelation, not even by their accusation of her being a 'Knot chaser.' She had grown up as a beta and knew that it was an accusation that was frequently lobbed at Beta women who even garnered a smile from an Alpha. Bitter beta men were some of the worst for it. She hadn't understood at the time what it had meant exactly, but she got the general gist of it when she had been accosted by a beta man one night on her way to deliver a Whistledown article. He had drunkenly tried to get her to talk to him and when she had tried to hurry away he had pushed her into a wall and told her that she smelled of 'Alpha funk' and had obviously 'opened her legs for the knot heads like a little knot chaser.' It had been her first brush with what it was like for women without chaperones, and she had stomped on his foot before kneeing him in his never region and scurried away while his friends laughed and catcalled after her. Her next Whistledown had been a few days late because she had to gather the courage in order to make the trek to her printer. A month later she had saved up enough to move onto a printer in higher repute than her last one.

She sat back in her seat, lips pressed together.

"What was her name?" she asked and the tick in Anthony's jaw told her nobody knew her name. Gods that was sad, it was so incredibly sad to her that this woman walked down these same roads, pinned the hair of her mistress and repaired her clothes, that she had followed the blonde-haired Omega heiress at a sedate pace when she was being courted by Alpha's and now she was gone, not even a name for them to remember her by other than 'The beta who was murdered' or the 'Knot chaser' which will no doubt spread like wildfire amongst the ton. Nobody amongst the ton would care for her name either, other than to boil her down to a slur that would chase the Abernathy's into spreading it about that she was always 'no good' and they would distance themselves from her no matter how good she had been at her job.

Later, as Tilly pinned her hair up in an elaborate hairstyle to ready her for the ball she watched her Lady's maid intently. She would miss Tilly if anything ever happened to her, the weeks she had been holed up in Aubrey Hall had made her close to her.

"Tilly," she said, and Tilly paused in her work to look Penelope in the eyes in the mirror. "Today the Abernathy's Lady's maid was found dead in the Serpentine gardens- I trust you to ignore the gossip surrounding it and ask if you could please find her name out for me." Tilly gave her a sad smile and nodded solemnly.

"I already learned it from the Housekeeper my Lady, her name was Clarissa Lleyton, She's your Housekeeper's niece," Tilly said quietly as she finished pushing pins through Penelope's curls.

"I'll let Anthony know" Penelope breathed as she fretted her bottom lip with her teeth. She hadn't known the connection, but that put it all the more too close to home. Clearly, none of her pack had been aware, and she wondered if Violet had any clue. She made a promise to herself to try and get to know the staff as much as she could.

Tilly helped her into her dress, a gauzy silk chiffon with fractal icicle patterns of diamantes in different sizes running down it. She looked like winter, and with the diamond hairpins in her hair, there wasn't a part of her that didn't shine and wink in the light. Tilly handed her gloves to her and she worked them up her arms as Tilly clasped a diamond necklace around her neck that matched the drop earrings in her ears. She fingered the necklace, head cocked a little to the side as she took them in.

"Lord Bridgerton said they're from the family jewels- Something from a great, great grandmother," Tilly said as she watched her "Now, I think you're ready enough to present to your Alpha's my Lady, let's get you down to them." Penelope nodded, swallowing as she thought of how under scrutiny she would be at the ball. Taking in a steadying breath, she pressed a hand to her sternum and looked at herself in the mirror again, knowing that she was as ready as she was going to get.

When she made it to the staircase leading down into the entrance hall she noticed her pack were gathered around the base of the stairs arguing about something, she stopped and looked at them for a moment before making her way down.

They were all handsomely dressed in their formals, the dark dress jacket with patterned vests beneath, and crisp white shirts under that. Their cravats were really where their personality showed, she noticed with amusement. Anthony's was tied in a no-nonsense ballroom tie fashion, neat and well-ordered, with no flamboyant add-ons aside from a simple blue sapphire pin. Colin's was tied in a complicated variation of a mailcoach style, a slight ruffle to it that made him look a little dandyish if she was being honest, but it suited him all the same. Benedict's was the most simple of the lot, a simple mathematical that could be easily untied and discarded should the mood suit him. She cleared her throat slightly and their eyes shot to her immediately, she flushed under their scrutiny, knowing other than their wedding, this was the most dressed up she had been around them.

"You look exquisite Penelope," Anthony said after a moment, a soft smile on his face as he made his way up to her, he held out a hand to her and she placed her's into his. He led her down the rest of the staircase to the rest of her mates. Benedict took her free hand in hers and kissed her knuckles while bowing over them. Colin's hand found her waist and he squeezed it, thumb stroking her through the layers of her dress and underclothes. The heat of his hand grounded her as they broke away a little.

Tilly turned up minutes later carrying a soft velvet ice-blue cape to match the colour of her dress. She gratefully let it be set over her shoulders before a bow was tied with the ribbon holding it together.

"Alright, we had best be on now, we need to get there so we can meet this Killmartin pack for Franny," Anthony said as he led them all outside to the waiting carriage. A groom who had been running a last brush over the horses stepped away and Penelope was helped into the carriage. She was a little tickled when a stool was placed to make sure her step into it wasn't as steep. A little patronising, she mused, but- She placed her foot onto it and with Anthony's hand to steady her, easily stepped into it. Anthony, Ben and Colin followed and then they were off. As they settled into their seats Penelope took a moment to breathe through a sudden rush of emotions that made her heart squeeze terribly.

"Anthony," she said, voice a little horse. "The beta from the Serpentine was our housekeeper's niece, is it possible to give her time off for mourning? Or at the very least lighten her load?" she asked. His brow furrowed for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, of course- This is one of the things you can make decisions on yourself Penelope, all I require is for me or our steward to be made aware so that the rest of the staff can be informed- Namely Humboldt so he can take over some of her responsibilities." Anthony answered, brow still furrowed "I am very sorry to hear that" he added quietly "I will have to offer her my condolences directly and I advise that we ask her what actions she wants us best to take."

Penelope nodded, an idea forming in her mind "Her name was Clarissa," she cleared her throat "Clarissa Lleyton."

The rest of the trip to Lady Danbury's estate was quiet, but not uncomfortably so, it was just. Quiet. They were each reflecting, she supposed.

Once they reached the stately home, she was helped out of the carriage. Already there was a hush of voices and her name reaching her ears as they made their way into the entrance. Anthony had her hand in the crook of his elbow as he guided her inside. A footman asked to take her cloak and she tugged the ribbon free. Colin took it from her shoulders and handed it to the footman who no doubt took it to the cloakroom. She was then led into the ballroom and it took her breath away, much like Lady Danbury's balls often did to her. There were four sections of decor in the ballroom representing the different seasons. Pink flowers interwoven throughout, the first corner nearest the staircase and beneath the Queen's viewing area was the representation of spring, the pink flowers that flowed throughout the design of the room were a riot of colour, greenery trailing down the walls with the same flowers spilling from the balustrades surrounding the viewing platform on the landing. Then there was a wild spill of all different kinds of flowers surrounding a tree with pink buds of life teeming in the branches of it. Coming down the staircase leading into the ballroom, she noticed on the side opposite spring the pink flowers trailed off into obscurity amongst the bright yellow flowers flowing and weaved around another tree, leaves a healthy green, she supposed this was summer. Across the ballroom, there was a tree sporting the red and orange leaves of autumn, and the area showcased roses mostly, the stark red of them drawing the eye. Lastly, there was winter, branches of a tree weighed down with what looked like snow, but on closer inspection were glittering paste gems. Crocus intermixed with delicate lily of the valley and Hellebores in pretty shades of blue and purple interspersed with white. All the while, the pink flowers trailed throughout the room connecting it all.

It must have taken a very long time to plan for this, Penelope couldn't help but wonder at it, because the number of flowers in the room that weren't supposed to flower yet was astounding. She wonders if the greenhouses housed in the backyard of the sweeping gardens held any of them, or if they had been commissioned from somebody. Maybe even a mix of both. With an anxious swallow, she realises that the level of care that goes into organising a ball would fall onto her now. She remembers that Violet holds an annual masquerade, and feels abundantly lucky that Violet cares for her. Not having her in her corner would have left her floundering in her new place in society. She eyes the room as Anthony guides her through it looking for a haunt of the rest of the Bridgerton pack. When she catches sight of a sullen-looking Eloise she brightens, the feeling of overwhelm that had been starting to build in her chest releases at the sight of her. Eloise notices her a moment later and does that thing she does where she carves her way between Penelope and her brothers, a move she had pulled numerous times in the past when Colin and her had been in conversation. Anthony grunts at the impact of Eloise's elbow and frowns at his little sister.

Eloise doesn't care, she pays no mind when she tugs Penelope over to their usual designated spot which had been overtaken by the winter display. "He's here" Eloise whispers harshly, and with her confusion clear on her face Eloise nods towards a group of men talking amongst themselves and there in amongst them is Sir Phillip, his stance stoic as he eyes the rest of the partygoers. He is drawn up tightly, and it occurs to her that he looks supremely uncomfortable. Oh. Penelope frowns and clears her throat a little before glancing at Eloise who is staring a hole into the side of the man's face.

She remembers suddenly how her cousin once mentioned that he preferred to tinker away in his greenhouses and it occurs to her that maybe some of the display around the room is his.

"Do you want me to help make proper introductions?" Penelope asks just as Colin comes up behind them both to observe what they are looking at.

"Is that Sir Crane?" he asks, a little hint of delight in his voice that has her looking up at him, and there's a small smile on Colin's face.

"Yes," Penelope said, a little hesitation in her voice, and before she could stop him Colin made a beeline to the other Alpha. Penelope grabs Eloise's arm and hauls her along with her as she follows Colin who, with a delighted look on his face, greets Sir Phillip.

The greeting he gets in return is stiff, and when Penelope comes up to Colin's side and lays a delicate hand on his arm he looks down at her, face still in that smile of his that makes her feel all warm and syrupy.

"Ah!" Colin says, hand going to her waist "May I introduce you to my pack Omega? This is Penelope, I'm sure you met through Lady Crane, this is her cousin." Sir Phillip blinks at her owlishly, clearly not expecting her, and a sudden understanding dawns on her. He must've thought Marina abandoned her pups and him for Colin. A horrid thought occurs to her that maybe Sir Phillip accepting Eloise was his way of revenge.

"Former" Sir Phillip says faintly, eyes darting to Eloise's face "Miss Thompson is the former Lady Crane." Colin's face blanches a little.

"Sorry to hear that," Colin says gravely "What of little Oliver and Amanda?" Sir Phillip clears his throat and looks away from Eloise who is faintly trembling beside her, Penelope grips her hand and squeezes it in hers for support.

"Still with me," Phillip says, stepping away from the group of men who were luckily not paying attention to them, but rather a group of pretty beta women who had approached them. "She was," he fishes for the right word "kind enough to leave the children with me, knowing I would provide for them a life she couldn't." Colin follows the man, a frown on his face as he regards him.

"May I ask what brings you to London?" Colin asks "I got the impression when we met that you weren't much for the ton."

Sir Phillip looks around the room "No, I'm not much for it but when Lady Danbury commissioned me last year for this I was more than happy to supply the florists with the flowers to make this happen. I regularly help provide them with rare flowers for their bouquets and arrangements- While I enjoy cultivating the plants I prefer when people get to enjoy the fruits of my labour as well. As a thank you- Not including the sum she provided in payment- I was invited to see what her florists managed to do with all of them" he gestures around at the room "And I must say I am well pleased with how it turned out." Sir Phillip looked at Eloise again who was staring steadfastly at the floor, her nostrils flaring as she breathed something in, she looked up at Sir Phillip through her eyelashes. There was a subtle spike in Eloise's scent which was… Interesting to say the least. Penelope's eyes bounced between the two and Colin seemed to notice for the first time that Eloise was with them at all.

"Oh! El!" Colin said, "I'm sorry- Excuse my height of rudeness- Sir Crane this is my younger sister Miss Eloise Bridgerton, Eloise this is Sir Phillip Crane, I met him when he was with Marina." Colin stepped back a little so he could make the introduction, and Eloise turned her face up to look at Sir Phillip properly. There was a flicker of something across her face and seemingly with a determined sort of nod she held her hand out to him as though to shake his hand. Sir Phillip looked from the proffered hand up to Eloise's eyes and something softened in his gaze and he took her hand delicately in his and kissed her knuckles, something Eloise hadn't been expecting because she sucks in a startled breath.

"It is nice to meet you Miss Bridgerton" Sir Phillip said, rubbing a thumb over where he kissed before releasing her gloved hand. Eloise tilted her head to the side a little, biting her lip as she contemplated the man in front of her.

"Nice to make your acquaintance as well Sir Crane- May I compliment you on your work?" she asks and he smiles at her before nodding.

"I would be happy to take the compliment Miss Bridgerton." He said softly and Penelope let Eloise's hand drop from hers before nudging her forward a little.

"I believe Colin and I might take to the dance floor now, please excuse us" Penelope said, and Colin looked a little confused before he took her hand and nodded at Sir Phillip. He glanced over his shoulder at something and looked satisfied before leaving his sister alone with the man. One of the pack must be watching the two interact because he sweeps her onto the dance floor into a confident waltz. She smiles up at him before sparing a look toward Eloise and Sir Phillip who were now in a deep conversation.

"Now what," Colin said, turning her into a spin "Was that about?" Penelope sighed and looked up at him to see him arch an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I believe Eloise and Sir Crane would be a good match" she said, and it must have been unconvincing because Colin snorted in laughter at the mere idea.

"What, the same Eloise who doesn't like children?" he asked incredulously. Penelope sighed and tilted her head to the side thinking of her answer.

"It's not that El doesn't like children" Penelope said after a moment "It's more that she doesn't have much patience for them before they can make intelligent conversation- And besides, she'd no longer have to take part in balls and soiries which I would say she has a genuine dislike for. Could you imagine what she will be like when she realises a part of being in a child's life is that she gets the privilege of helping to mould minds? There'd be no stopping her." Colin seemed to accept that part because he smiled down at her.

"Well my Lady, when you put it like that, you're not wrong." He murmured before swooping down to kiss her cheek before they were pulled away from each other so that Penelope could circle him, hand trailing around his body as she did so. He took her other hand and spun her back into his arms in sync with the other dancers. She can't help the laugh that escapes her when he pulls her back into him so that her back is to his chest. Their hands touch and they complete the box step before he turns her back to face him when the song ends. He takes her back to the side of the dance floor where Anthony and Benedict stand.

Anthony's shrewd gaze is on Sir Phillip and his sister, "Isn't that…?" his voice trails off as Sir Phillip extends his hand and sweeps Eloise onto the floor to dance, mouth open a little in surprise. Even Colin is a little stunned at the sight.

"Yes," Penelope said, pushing his mouth closed with two of her fingers. "That is the man who saved Marina from ruin." She frowns a little at that "And then she went and ruined herself anyway- I'm sure there's a reason for it but I'm not sure I can rightly understand it myself."

"I didn't much take him for a man for society" Benedict said with a quirked eyebrow, and Penelope smiled at him over her shoulder.

"Well, he's not usually- But he provided the flowers for all of the floral arrangements in the room, Lady Danbury invited him to see the last year of his work come to fruition from my understanding" Penelope responded, looking back over her friend who, although stiff, seemed to be happy enough and in deep debate with sir Phillip.

They part ways after the song, he delivers her back to her mother who is smiling at him, and the moment he leaves Violet descends on Eloise, no doubt peppering her with a volley of questions. Eloise did not, without her mother's prodding and threats, dance. Penelope hoped that was a point in favour of Eloise's hair-brained plan. She makes a note to talk to Eloise the moment she can but she's pulled into numerous dances with both her pack Alpha's and other Alpha's. Violet hadn't been wrong with her prediction, she felt a lot like a shiny new toy all of them were taking for a spin- Possibly to see what all the fuss was about. Whatever the case, she paid them no more heed than necessary and anything they were searching for by dancing with her wasn't met by her. Her Alpha made it as comfortable for her as possible, but she still felt a little sickly after being passed around, and so the moment she could she made the beeline to the garden, her alpha's a wall between her and the rest of the ton as she did so. The fresh air was exactly what she had needed and she breathed it as deeply as she could until she couldn't any longer.

There was something in the air that made her hackles rise, and unbeknownst to her Alpha who had been pulled into a chat with several other men- She slipped away. She wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly, but it made her insides curdle the closer she got to it. She turned a bend, disappearing behind a hedge and had to stop. The coppery scent of blood was in the air, the air so thick with it she could taste pennies on her tongue. She gagged a little and took a stumbling step forward. A cloud shifted and the dime glow from the moon exposed what had been hidden by shadows- A slumped body in a pool of blood.

Except- Penelope squinted, and there it was, just the slightest hint of movement that had her running over and crashing to her knees. The Beta woman is moving her mouth but she can't speak, blood is pouring from her neck and it almost seems too much for it to be contained in one body. Penelope for lack of anything else gathers the skirt of her dress and presses it to the wound.

"Help!" she screams out, and she wants to look around because the back of her neck prickles at the feeling of eyes on her but she can't look away from the dying woman's eyes. They're crystal blue, her auburn hair is tugged from what must have been a neat updo. She must be from one of the lesser families, she can't recognise her as one of the gentry- Probably one of the new money families.

"What's your name?" she asks as she presses against the wound, the blood is slowing but she's not sure that's a good thing at this point. The woman lets out a gurgling croak, patting at her dance card. Penelope risks a glance down at it. "Gwenyth? I'm Penelope, please hold on for me, I have you now" She tries a smile but she knows it falls flat.

There's a thunder of footsteps and then they're there- Anthony, Benedict and Colin, along with a slew of others she can't put a face to at that moment. "See Gwen," she says and there's a tremor in her voice "Help is here now, you're going to be okay." Colin kneels beside them both, and he delicately moves Penelope's hands to see the damage, and the look on his face says everything she needs to know about the situation. Whoever had attacked her had severed something important with the gouging bite to her neck. "You're going to be okay now Gwen," she says hoarsely and then she's being pushed aside for the doctor but it's already too late, Gwenyth stills, and lets out one last gurgling, stilted breath. Penelope sits back on her heels and presses the back of her hand not covered in blood to her mouth as though to stifle the grief-stricken noise from escaping her.

"Come here sweetheart" Colin says softly, pulling her into his arms. She turns her face into his chest and she knows she's getting blood all over him but he doesn't seem to care as he pulls her closer and stoops so she can nuzzle into his scent gland. The spicy caramel and rum of his scent soothed her, lulling her into a strange numbness as she watched people surround the poor woman's body until they were shoved to the side and a woman who looked to be an older version of Gwen. She lets out a noise Penelope is not sure anyone can really describe, but she wonders if this is the noise people think of when they think about banshees. The keening wail makes every hair on her body stand on end, and she's sure it's a sound every woman and omega alike with a pup feels down to the very marrow of their bone. She gathers Gwen in her arms and rocks her, staring right into the soulless eyes of her dead daughter, patting her face as though to wake her.

The rest of her night is a flurry of activity, but the numb sort of, stunned rush of people trying to be busy in light of a tragedy. The ball, of course, ends as abruptly as Gwen's life ends. Penelope and her pack are asked to stay behind to be questioned, there's a detective assigned to cover the situation, one of the more competent of the bow Streetrunners. He's a wiry man made of lean muscles and understated strength. He's around the same age as James, who decided to stay behind with them while Gareth escorted the rest of the pack back home. He stands shoulder to shoulder with Anthony who seems to sap strength from the older Alpha. The detective, who she later learns is named Patterson, is crouched next to Gwen's mother who refuses to leave her daughter's body. He had just talked through the events with Penelope which had left her feeling wrung out, but there's a spike of something inside her as she watches the scene before her. An understanding of what needs to be done. Of the role, Lady Whistledown will play in this.

Eventually, a carriage comes, and Gwen's body and her mother are collected. Lady Danbury stands guard as she watches and waits for them to disappear down her driveway. She looks a little drawn and ashen, but otherwise, Lady Danbury is her ever-stoic self. She turns to Penelope and gestures for them to follow her.

"May as well get something to put some colour back into your face again" she says as she makes quick work of guiding them back into her house. She looks back at Penelope with a grim face and says "And something clean to wear, that blood will do you no good gal. Best get all washed up before you have to head back home otherwise your carriage will need to be scrubbed down and then some. Best save the maids some work, blood is very hard to get out of upholstery."

She taps a maid and murmurs something to her before Penelope is gently redirected to one of the retiring rooms that had been available for use. There's a basin there that a maid is filling with fresh, warm, soapy water. She helps Penelope out of the bloodied mess of her outer layers and helps her wash the blood from her hands and arms. There's a patch of it where her knees had knelt in the blood and it had seeped through the outer layers but it was markedly better than she had been. She is helped into a dressing gown that is as billowy and loose as her blue one at home and she is grateful for it. She is then directed to the sitting room where her Alpha and James are seated with Lady Danbury. A glass of rum is pressed into her hands and she knocks it back with a slight cough at the burn in her throat. She sits on the loveseat next to Anthony, feeling numb as she does so. Lady Danbury is peering at her with a keen look in her eyes, and Penelope leans back into the seat with a sigh heavier than the weight of the earth.

"I've heard tell," Lady Danbury says, breaking the silence "That you were the one to find the beta during your visit to the serpentine" She lets the sentence sit for a moment before narrowing her eyes in contemplation. She leans forward in her seat, those keen dark brown eyes of hers locking onto Penelope. "Now, as we are amongst your pack, tell me- Was she a redhead too?" Penelope flinched a little at that, and, knowing that she had likely been flushed of all her colour, refused to meet the eyes of anybody in the room.

"Yes," Penelope said after a moment, "Closer in colour to mine to be honest, though the other beta- A Miss Clarissa Lleyton- was using a pheromone oil that had the same base note as mine. I don't think Gwen was wearing one at all." Lady Danbury makes a sound of derision.

"You wouldn't have noticed it gal, but she was wearing a scented oil" Lady Danbury barked, pointing at her with her cane "And her scent was a carbon copy of yours, if a little less potent. I could smell it when they carted her body past me, clear as day away from the scent of blood- Lilacs, rosemary and strawberries."

Penelope lifts her eyes and is caught in the distressed look on Colin's face. She swallows at the sight, knowing that she is going to potentially put that look on his face again. If she is caught that is. She hopes for both their sake and hers, that she is not.

They leave Lady Danbury's not long after that revelation, none of her Alpha are particularly happy about the knowledge they'd learned, granted, they had their suspicion that the women were potentially being targeted in connection to the pheromone oil that was likely being produced following her first heat- But acknowledging it out loud was a different kettle of fish altogether. Having an outsider without the knowledge they had on the issue made it abundantly clear that they weren't just playing into their own fears.

By the time they get home, the day is breaking, and they're all exhausted. They slip into sleep rather quickly and sleep most of the day away, even Anthony chooses to take the day off from his administrative work as Viscount. When she wakes though, despite it being noon, she doesn't feel like she slept at all. Her packmates are just as quiet as her as they go about their business while she wiles the rest of the day away in the library- Looking out over Grosvenor Square. She watches as people confusedly, and loudly, gripe at the lack of a Lady Whistledown following the drama of the night before and she wonders if she could talk to her Alpha about her taking up the pen again.

It doesn't take long for her to decide she needs to do something in the direction of that thought and shuffles her way into her little office that Colin had put together for her. She sits at her desk, pulls out parchment and dips her quill into a freshly opened pot of ink. She hovers for a moment before she begins to write.

Dearest, gentle reader;

I must apologise, dear reader, for the late coming of this issue but with the utmost respect for the two young women who were attacked and killed I felt their families deserved a moment to breathe before I put pen to paper. In light of this, I would like to dedicate this issue to Miss Clarissa Lleyton, and Miss Gwenyth Haltrow. May they both rest in peace and my greatest condolences to their families at this time.

I find myself, dear reader, in a rut as far as gossiping about you all goes- Should I mention that Mister Gardner of the Grant pack was seen liaising with the less than scrupulous owner of the Gaming Hell 'To Kill a Bird'? The very Gaming Hell a one Baron Featherington was found dead in two years prior? I would advise his packmates to cut his purse strings, lest they want to find him without his hands one day. A brutal business, gambling is.

Should I mention that the newest Viscountess Bridgerton née Miss Penelope Featherington was whipped around the ballroom like the shiny new toy that she is? Most assuredly, while her wardrobe is much improved, the Alpha who danced her around have no doubt learned she is no different than before, just with a shiny new title and a less eye-jarringly bright dress.

Or perhaps I should talk about how the betting pool on who would be the new diamond of the season is going to have to wait to find which lucky person won that particular cache because it seems the Queen has yet to make any announcements to that effect. Personally, I have my eye on Miss Franchesca Bridgerton, she looked resplendent in her lilac dress representing spring beautifully at the ball last night. But, alas, it seems even she may be snatched up from the market if the way the Killmartin pack made a show of dancing with her exclusively.

However, it all pales in comparison to the gruesome discovery of Miss Haltrow in the gardens of Lady Danbury's home, during a ball no less, does it not? This author advises that the Beta women connected to the ton either in wealth or job association that they take care out there. There is clearly a disturbed individual targeting them, and while I certainly cannot tell you to not leave the house or that you should roam in groups- Seeing as how even I know that isn't realistic- All I can do is ask that we all keep an eye out and protect each other.

I apologise that this may not be the issue that the ton thirsts for, nor does it contain the 'juicy details' you no doubt crave but I find it distasteful to make sport of somebodies loss- Anybody who was there in the vicinity of where Miss Haltrow was found can attest that the pain of losing a pup, no matter their age, is heart-wrenching.

Hold your daughters close, kiss them goodnight, ask them about their day, ask them anything and listen to them regale you with their life, as it is: You never know when you won't get the chance to listen to them like this again.

Until next time, dear reader.

- Lady Whistledown

Penelope sets down her quill and dusts the parchment with drying powder before blowing it off. She hems and haws over it for a moment before going to the one person she is sure will listen to her- Benedict.

She finds him in the room he claimed as his studio and when he sees her he beams widely, all teeth in that charmingly boyish way of his. When he noticed the parchment in her hand he tilted his head to the side in question. She holds it out to him and he takes it, eyes skimming over it. He pulls a face, which is neither a good nor bad face before nodding.

"This seems perfectly reasonable," Benedict says, standing "now, where can I deliver it?" Penelope hesitates for a moment before biting her lip, knowing this would likely either annoy him or he would be tickled by the idea.

"Well, about that- I have a liaison between me and the printer so I no longer have to deal with them directly unless there are pay disputes or something wrong with the article and while they have given the okay for me to inform somebody I feel I need to preface this with how I need to protect their identity as much as mine and well,'' She begins and Benedict's face grows increasingly bemused as she continues waffling on. "Their livelihood depends on them not being found out, and while it is perfectly natural for me to visit them I'm not sure how-"

"Penelope darling," Benedict interrupts. "While you are very cute when you babble, I can assure you, you will be able to work it out."

"Madame Delacroix is my liaison" she rushes out "She has it delivered discreetly to the printers in packaging and has some of her runners take it there."

Benedict's smile is contemplative now, "Clever," he murmurs "Tell me, how did she become part of your business?" he asks.

"Oh! Well, see, I may... have.." she hesitates and he nods at her encouragingly "been caught by her coming back from talking to my printer." She covers her cheeks with her hands, knowing they're red with embarrassment. She remembers the way she ran away from Gen, it had been humiliating when she then had to sidle up to her in order to confront her about having been caught in a district she shouldn't have been in, unaccompanied by a chaperone and dressed like a Lady's maid. Benedict's quiet huff of laughter does nothing to help the state of her reddened cheeks.

"I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that," he said, and then, with a sigh, he folds her into a hug and she squirmed a little before slipping her arms around his waist. "I'll show this to Ant and Colin for you, I don't think there's any reason for them to veto anything you've said here- Barring, of course, the implication that you're nothing special." He kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes as she breathed in his honey and pine smoke scent. She dearly hoped Anthony did not have any issues with it, or Colin for that matter. It seems any worries she has over it were unsolicited because the next day her gossip sheet hits the ton. The People scurry about, grouped as they chat about it loudly, more than a few women cast furtive glances over their shoulders and her chest tightens at the sight. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

Her opportunity comes a day later when Gareth and James drop in unannounced with news that another body has been found. She feels sick with the thought of it and the Alpha's lock themselves into Anthony's office until the late hours. She eats dinner alone that night. Gareth and James leave just after dinner and Benedict and Colin come out long enough to see her to bed. She knows she won't get another chance so after ten minutes of waiting she steals out of bed and into the night. She creeps through her mother's backyard and almost huffs a laugh when she sidesteps the butler who is well into his cups and asleep on one of the benches hidden behind a hedge. His secret hiding place to drink the leftover decanted wine from dinner. Much like any other night, she had snuck out of her mother's home, the back servant entrance was open. The candles have been long burnt out and Varley's loud snore can be heard from the hall to the servant's quarters. There is no flicker of light under any of the doors, which has her breathing a sigh of relief. When she pushes open Varley's door quietly she holds her breath in anticipation. But Varley, like always, is dead to the world in her slumber. Penelope unhooks the heavy ring of keys from beside the housekeeper's door and leaves the room again with a quiet 'thump' of the door as she closes it. It doesn't take her long to make it to her father's old study, and she holds her breath as she tries two of the keys on the ring of them before she finds the right one. When the door clicks open she breathes a sigh of relief and locks herself into the room just in case. She quietly lights one of the lanterns that sit in the room, and a warm glow flickers from it, giving her a circle of light around it to work in. The top of the desk is empty but for a few stray pieces of parchment and the financial records. She tsks a little at what she can see because what she can see is no good.

She opens the drawers and sifts through them, as quietly as she can and she feels a wave of discouragement as she goes through them all and finds nothing. It's not until her second look-through that she discovers that the bottom drawer is false-bottomed. She opens the false bottom up and finds everything she had been looking for. There's a series of increasingly demanding missives from an "L. Arlington" wanting more of 'Subject P. F's' slick and blood to create more pheromone oils to meet the demand of her particular flavour.' She assumes P.F. is her, but a niggling worry has her stomach churning at the idea that her mother is using Prudence for this as well as the last Omega in her mother's clutches. There's no doubt the monetary gain is what her mother is after and she rides on that belief until she finds it. The spidery lettering of the letter makes her stomach turn over and over in uneasy summersaults. There's something about it that has the hair on the back of her neck prickling uncomfortably.

What sets off alarm bells, is the contents of the letter.

'Dear mama Featherington,

It has come to my attention that the pheromone oil I have been using to slick up my knot during a rut is made from the slick of your youngest daughter's first heat- And oh how sweet it is. I want to bathe in it, I want to bathe in her, be it in her blood or her slick, her scent consumes me. I know all about your money woes, and I have the means to make it all go away if you deliver her to me. If you choose not to, well, you will see in the coming weeks what happens every day I am separated from her. She's mine and I will not hesitate to do the same to your eldest and you as I do to my little gifts I display for her to see. I hope she enjoys them, and I hope you understand what they mean to you. All you have to do is steal her away from her pack and break their bond, the rest will be up to me.

- Your future son-in-law'

Penelope folds the letter into little squares before snuffing out the lantern. She doesn't know how she makes it to the gardens and far away enough from the still sleeping butler but she manages it before her stomach gives up the fight and she heaves uselessly over the gardenias. Nothing comes up, and she presses a hand to her mouth to stay the ill feeling that won't relent.

She creeps back into the yard of Bridgerton home, hair in disarray as she shakily steps up the path in the garden to make her way to the servant's entrance. She didn't want to believe what she read in the documents and letter she found in the false bottomed drawer of that desk, but god help her it was all she could think of. She clutched the letter she had taken, and she tried to breathe through how gutted she felt. She was firmly in her misery when she bumped into a solid wall of chest, causing her to stumble back a little, and when she didn't fall but instead felt the iron grip on her arm she peered up at who she had walked into. Benedict's fierce blue eyes spat anger down at her, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight.

"Imagine my surprise, Kitten, when we go to fall into bed with you after thoroughly discussing the idea that there is a murderer on the loose attacking Beta who bears a startling resemblance to you and your scent and we don't find you there." His voice had a deadly calm quality to it that had her stomach bottoming out "You cannot imagine the panic each of us felt Penelope- Now, I am a very forgiving person, I am proud of your work as Lady Whistledown and I will champion you on it every. single. time." A crack in his demeanour as he grits his teeth through that last sentence has her blinking back tears because she knows how badly she messed up, and while she's not sorry for the information she learned the last thing she had wanted was to worry anybody. "But when there is a legitimate danger out there who could- Who could-" He swallows and his eyes glitter in a way that she knows matches hers "I could never forgive myself, Penelope, I could never forgive you for going against our deepest wishes to keep you safe- We just want you safe Penelope, because we-" he turns his face and blinks rapidly at the sky before looking down at her again "come with me."

He eases his grip on her arm and tugs her through the entrance and the kitchen to the entrance hall where Anthony is barking orders at footmen and Colin is pacing with his hair in his hands. And it's devastating looking at them, knowing that she's the reason for Anthony's worry and Colin's anxiety. She had known she wouldn't be long so when she was sent to bed following the discovery of the third body she had slipped out, needing answers. She had found them, mostly, but had it been worth it? She clutched the letter in her hand in a white-knuckled grip.

"I found her" Benedict says, and both Anthony and Colin's gaze sharply find her and her chest hurts at the look in their eyes.

Colin strides across the room and pulls her into his arms, breathing her in as he rumbles at her to never leave them like that again. She wishes she could make that promise. She closes her eyes and nuzzles her face into his neck so she can kiss his bonding bite from her. Her arms come around him and she cradles him to her as he breathes her in. Anthony turns away from her to issue more orders to the footmen, they look between him and her for a moment, hesitating.

"I said go!" Anthony yells and the footmen startle before nodding and leaving the room hurriedly. Anthony turns toward her, jaw ticking and she gently extracts herself from Colin's grip, kissing him on the cheek as she steps around him to meet Anthony head-on. His gaze holds her prisoner as she steps closer to him, his chest is heaving in suppressed anger as he watches her like a hawk.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" he asks her "I was under the impression you were smart Penelope, but tonight has made it abundantly clear that you don't have a self-preserving bone in your body. How dare you willfully put yourself in danger- Especially in light of the third girl being found in proximity to you with your hair colour and your scent on their skin- Because this time it was your scent, Penelope, I have no doubts that this was created from your slick. Do you have any understanding of what you put us through?"

"I-" She goes to tell him about what she has discovered but he isn't having a bar of it.

"I am talking!" he roars over her and her mouth snaps closed "We thought he had gotten to you Penelope, that he had slipped into the house and stolen you from your suite. There is no excuse in the world for the level of terror you put us through- You are lucky you are not dead. Because the man butchering these women is either part of the ton or he is stalking you." The thought stops her breath in her lungs, could he be stalking her? The back of her neck prickles uncomfortably as she thinks of all the times she felt she was being watched. Anthony looks at her, face a thundercloud as he takes her in. Penelope trembles a little at the gravity of what she did for a moment before she gathers herself and shakes off her anxiety at having caused her Alpha any pain. She unfolds the letter in her hand and looks down at the words written on it.

"I am sorry I caused any distress, Anthony," she said, looking up at him before stepping forward to pin the letter to his chest with her hand "I am genuinely sorry for that but I am not sorry for taking the initiative to get some answers that we were sorely lacking, there is a lot more to this than you or I even thought- There are moving parts in this that we wouldn't have had any clue on had I not snuck into my mother's home in order to retrieve it. Should I have told you so that you would not worry or at least had been near to make sure I was okay? Maybe, but there is nothing I can do to change the past." She looks at him fiercely, standing on her tiptoes for much-needed height to face Anthony down. Because when Anthony was angry he was the height of a wrathful god. His chest heaved under her palm and his eyes darted all over her in a way that had something hot curling inside her- His eyes felt like fire branding her skin. He makes an odd tortured moan in the back of his throat before he dives in and kisses her fiercely, hand burying itself into her hair as his kiss punishes her. His fingers clench and tug in her hair and their kiss breaks so that he can bite at her throat and push her back until she is bracketed by him and Benedict. He pulls back and looks away from her to look at Benedict.

"Take her to the Omega suite Ben, I want her naked and panting on all fours by the time I get there." He looks down at her then and grips the hand that she holds the letter to his chest with so he can take it from her. He pulls away and watches with a calm indifference as Benedict grips her arms gently so he can steer her from the room. She looks back at him and Colin as she stumbles on jellied legs. "Oh, and Ben?" Anthony calls out, not even looking at them as he looks down at the letter "Don't let her come."

She feels a little like she's going to faint when Benedict eventually guides her through the doors of the Omega suite and he pushes the door closed with a foot before he starts stripping her silently. She's just as quiet, her chest heaving in the loosely tied bodice of the dress she had slipped on over her night dress. He's almost methodical when he strips her naked, and when he pushes her to her knees and then positions her in a presenting form the Omega in her kicks in and every muscle that had been tensed in her body relaxes into it.

"There you go Kitten" Ben murmurs, soothing a big, warm hand down her back "That's a good girl, need you all soft and pliable for the next bit sweetling. Remember what we've discussed Penelope, your safe word is?"

"Feathers," she says back, feeling like she had been dipped into a warm bath as his hands start massaging her until she starts purring. He makes a pleased sound at the noise and the sudden warmth of his mouth on her cunt pushes a sharp exhale through her lips. He eats at her with a ferocity that has her pushing back onto his tongue, head swimming with pleasure. When that pleasure turns into a sharp, rolling boil under her skin he pulls back and soothes his hands over her body again until that boil slowly turns back into a simmer. She's not sure how long he does this to her, the push and pull of bringing her to the brink of an orgasm but she knows she's near delirious when Anthony and Colin finally make their way into her suite. Benedict pulls back and soothes his hands over again until she's breathing normally. The ache between her legs is a steady throb and her head clears enough for her to acknowledge the rest of her pack. Anthony hasn't stripped out of his clothes and she can't help the whine that breaks out of her at the sight of him stoically standing just out of reach of her.

He takes a step toward her and crouches before her, he tilts her face up to look at him and he makes a tsking sound as he wipes a stray tear of frustration from her cheek.

"You have a choice," he says quietly, deadly, "we can continue to deny you release for the rest of the week-" she whines in distress at that "Or, you supplicate yourself for our forgiveness and lay yourself over my lap and I spank you until we believe you are sincerely contrite because while I concede that the information you provided tonight was valuable- There is no information in this world that is worth your life or safety." He hisses the last part out through gritted teeth, jaw ticking in anger. "So which will it be Penelope?" he asks. He stands and makes his way over to a seat, legs spread as he awaits her answer. She sits up on her knees, swaying as she does, clit throbbing as she squirms, looking between all her Alpha's before making a decision. She crawls to Anthony, not trusting her legs to keep her upright before she climbs into his lap and drapes her naked body across it. The silk of his pants smooth against her skin as he runs a hand over her arse.

"Good choice," he says in a rumble, groping at the flesh of her arse cheek so he can open her up more and see her glistening cunt. Her nails dig into his thigh as she waits for him to lay down the blow, and when he does it's with a swift swat that echoes the sound through the room. The surprise of it pushes a huff of breath from her, and she's not given any time to recover before he rains down a few more across the ample flesh. She cries out when the fifth smack leaves a pulsing heat behind on her skin. She's not sure how many more he delivers before he rubs a soothing hand down her thigh. "That's it, princess," he says, voice a barely there rumble "Nearly there, are you still okay to continue? You know you can use your word at any time." She grits her teeth at this and throws a dark look over her shoulder at him, his face, stern and no-nonsense splits into a wicked grin at the look on her face.

"That looks like a solid no to that suggestion to me, brother" Colin quips from his spot leaning against the wall facing her behind. Benedict is lounging on the bed as he watches the entire scene, there's a look of… Well, she's not sure what it is to be exact. It's not heat, so much as contemplation. Anthony smacks her arse soundly and her attention is wrenched back to him.

"Your attention should be on what's happening here Omega" he says, and she focuses back on the wall in front of her as he rains swats down on her again. It starts to hurt, the heat almost unbearable, and she lets out a sound of distress at it. 'Feathers' is at the tip of her tongue but she bites the inside of her cheek and ignores the tears trailing down her cheeks. She shivers in his lap, muscles tensing under his palm and he lets out a grunt as he soothes his hand over her heated flesh, a knuckle brushing over the hot, wet mess between her legs. Embarrassingly, his soft touch undoes her and she lets out a hitching, sobbing breath. He makes a soft noise, and the next thing she knows she's being lifted. She's not sure who, it could be Anthony, Benedict or Colin who made the move but they lay her out on the bed stomach down so a salve of some type can be rubbed onto her behind. It smarts and she lets out a hiss, burying her face into the downy pillowyness of her bed, muffling the sobs she lets out. She's fussed over, hands on any part of her they can reach, all of them rubbing her down in an almost massage until someone wedges a pillow beneath her hips and then straddles her thighs. "It's okay Penelope," Anthony says, the heat of him engulfing her as he leans over her "I know what you need." He hooks his hand under her hips with the pillow so that his fingers find the mess between her legs and she gasps, trying to lift up to allow him more room but his weight on the backs of her thighs prevents her. She whines grinding down onto his hand as he rubs unhurried circles into her clit, and despite the slowness of it, and how gently he's being, she comes with a shout. He smiles into the skin of her shoulder before pulling away and settling himself until she feels the heat of his cock at her opening. She feels almost as though he couldn't fit inside her with her in the position she's in but he fills her with a curse.

"Christ Omega," he breathes, and she moans at how well he fills her. With him straddling her like he is her thighs are pressed together and her white knuckle grips the sheet of the bed at how big it makes him feel. He's already well endowed, a perk of being an Alpha, but the position he has her in makes it almost too big. He rolls his hips into her and she turns her face so she can suck gulping, great breaths in. Colin is watching the mess Anthony is making of her as his thrusts pick up, there's a wild heat to his eyes that has her reaching out to him. Anthony makes a punched-out moan when she clenches around him. "Fuck," he hisses as he gathers her hair in his fist "You're such a good girl Penelope." She moans at the tug of his fist in her hair, combined with his words. If there was one thing she couldn't get enough of, it was her alpha's calling her a good girl. There was something in the validation of it that had her inner Omega purring at the praise, belly up for them. Her hand finds Colin's and she grips on tight as Anthony fucks breathless whimpers out of her, he's whispering filthy words into her ear and she can't make much sense from them beyond how good they make her feel. Her arse smarts as his hips slap into it but it only adds to the heat she feels. She wiggles between his knees, searching for something- Anything- And she finds it when Anthony picks up the pace and latches his teeth onto the mating mark he bit into her neck. She explodes around him, letting out a keening cry that echoes in the spacious Omega Suite. She feels drunk on him as he fucks her through it.

"Gods baby, you didn't even need me to touch that pretty little clit of yours for you to come, did you?" he says to her, voice strained and gravelly "Our pretty little Omega likes getting spanked, don't you?" She shakes her head and he tsks "Oh princess, there's nobody here except your Alpha to judge you, and we won't, will we?" there's a noise of agreement from both Colin and Benedict. "Did you hear that precious heart? Col and Ben find that gorgeous pink arse of yours just as pretty as I find it- Don't they?" she doesn't answer him, she can't. His knot is pressing into her with every thrust and it's driving her wild. She can't think straight. He makes a pleased purring rumble in his chest. "Too cock drunk to speak baby?" he asks, and her whole body feels hot at the suggestion "Maybe next time we think you're going to do something reckless we'll take turns fucking the ideas out of your head- Ah, fuck- And when you're all pink-cheeked and pretty, drunk on our cocks and knots, we'll tie you down and keep coming back to fuck you until you're full and swollen with our pups." His knot pops into her with one hard stroke and she's too delirious with pleasure she can't even make a sound as she convulses around him. She's sure she's made Colin bleed by digging her nails into him as Anthony makes short, stuttering thrusts as he knots her and comes inside her until- embarrassingly, his come squelches out around his thick knot. When she can breathe again Anthony hugs her to him and rolls them around so that she's on top of him. She lets out a grunt when his knot lodges into her more firmly, but she doesn't protest when Benedict and Colin descend on her. Anthony spreads her legs with his knees and kisses the side of her head when he holds her atop him by loosely cuffing his hand around her neck so he can tilt her face just so and kiss her.

There's the slapping of flesh on flesh and she turns her attention to her other two Alpha's as they both jerk themselves to completion on her, the hot splash of their come almost glittering on her skin in the sparse candlelight. They rub it into her skin and she dazedly realises that they are scent marking her and she feels a twinge of shame that the impulsive actions are likely their way of protecting their bonds with her. She knows from what Benedict taught her about it is that it's a behaviour typically done in response to an Alpha feeling their bond is threatened. Colin had felt compelled by his hindbrain to do it during his rut, and both he and Benedict similarly felt compelled to do it now in response to her disappearing act.

Not that she minded it, as gross as the idea was on paper her inner Omega was preening and rolling around in pleasure in response. Back in ancient times, scent marking was ritualistic in nature outside of hindbrain behaviour and it was seen as an honour to be marked in this way as an Omega because it meant the bond was strong. Anthony's whole body softens beneath her when his knot loosens, he rolls them so that he's spooning her now and runs a hand through her knotty hair.

"Don't ever do that to me again" he says, voice a rumble in his chest against her back. She snuggles back into him and blinks sleepily at Colin as he wipes her down with a warm cloth. Colin catches her eyes, an intense look on his face as he pauses in his work long enough to push a lock of hair behind her ear and out of her face. Anthony's fingers catch in it as he works the knots from her hair. Colin goes back to cleaning her up and when he finishes he leaves the room without a backward glance. Chest feeling tight, she looks over her shoulder to watch him as he leaves. Anthony redirects her gaze to his and makes a soft sound at the look on her face. "Just give him some time sweetness" he said, cupping her jaw, thumb sweeping over the apple of her cheek. "He took it hard when we couldn't find you in the nest, he'll come to you when he's ready." Ben crowds in from her front and kisses the mark he left on her neck, she turns to look at him, Anthony's hand leaving her face as she does so to catch at the dip of her waist. Ben leans in and kisses her soundly, pressing his forehead against hers as he pulls away.

They fall asleep like this, pressed together tightly with her firmly in the middle of the two older Bridgerton brothers. Colin doesn't come back to the nest, and the ache of his absence is felt when she wakes up the next morning with only Benedict curled around her. Anthony, she expects to be gone at this time, but Colin is nearly always there to wake up with her. She rolls onto her back and stares grumpily up at the canopy above her head. An anemic morning light filters into the room, and when she sits up to look out across Grosvenor Square she realises the anemic light is due to smoke blooming in the distance ominously. She crawls her way out of the nest disturbing Ben on the way out, practically tripping over her discarded nightgown that she pulls over her head when she finds it. Her dressing gown is draped over a privacy screen so she shuffles herself into it as she presses up against the window to try and discern where the smoke is coming from, but it's getting too thick to tell.

"Ben!" she calls over her shoulder and he jolts up in the bed with a grunt. He looks over at her for a moment trying to figure out what could possibly be the issue when he too notices the smoke. He stumbles to his feet to see outside. "Where do you think it's coming from?" she asks, looking up at him. He squints through bleary eyes and frowns.

"I don't rightly know but by the looks of it somewhere South of Hyde Park," he says after a moment "The Gaming Hells of a not-so-good repute tend to be around that area- I wonder if there's been an incident?" he hums, hands on his hips as he stares out the window, he shrugs a little a moment later and looks down at Penelope.

"I wonder if the one Papa frequented is around there" she mused, frowning at the smoke, the acrid scent of it starting to seep into the house. She screwed up her nose at it before shuffling away. "My nest is going to smell like smoke," she said a little petulantly, knowing it was a ridiculous thing to fuss over, Benedict snickered before gathering her up into his arms so he could kiss her.

"I'll call for Tilly so you can be dressed for the morning- We have morning tea with Daphne and Simon and then you have an appointment at the modiste, and then later on we have the Trowbridge ball" he says as though reciting her schedule from memory, and knowing in Anthony he had probably drummed it into his brother's skulls so that one of them would always be with her. She nods at him and sits at her vanity so she can work a brush through the snarls in her hair. She brushes her curl around her hand to try and shape it a little and deeply regrets not having her curls set the night before to help tame them for the ball that evening. When Tilly sees her and snatches the brush from Penelope's hand with a tut.

"Now my Lady, let me do that- I'll rub some oil into your hair to help smooth out these curls." Tilly grabbed a bottle of oil from the vanity and dripped a few drops into the palm of her hands before rubbing her hands together. She combed her fingers through Penelope's hair, paying particular attention to the knots and snarls she found as she did so. With some time and effort, her curls were in some semblance of order. "What do you think my Lady? What shall we do for your hair today? Something simple or would you like something a little more elaborate?"

"Simple," Penelope said, "maybe something with a braid?" Tilly nodded in understanding before getting to work. Before long Penelope's hair was braided into a halo braid with a bun at the nape of her neck. locks of hair framed her face nicely and the little touch of rouge on her lips and the apples of her cheeks helped liven her up a little. She was dressed in a soft green day dress, soft layers of muslin swishing about her legs as she made her way to the informal dining room for breakfast with her pack. Tilly chases after her to rattle off what needs to be discussed with Violet for the Hearts and Flowers ball for the country visit. She takes it all in her stride of course, knowing the morning tea with Daphne would mean having time to talk to both her and Violet about some of the ideas rattling around in her head. Perhaps she could combine those thoughts with the experience Violet has with hosting the country visit for the ton. She's looking forward to getting some distance between her and her presumed- And all but confirmed- stalker. She would go over the guest lists Violet usually had to see if any correlate with her father's old dealings given the person hurting beta women in a sick sort of tableau for her and her mother to show off the harm he could cause knows of her families money troubles, and not just the surface knowledge either- The way he wrote suggested he knew the extent of those issues as well. She shivered at the thought and dismissed Tilly for the rest of the day until it was time to get ready for the Trowbridge ball.

Colin is not at breakfast.

Anthony and Benedict make a solid effort to cheer her up but her stomach turns at the thought of him needing space from her. She can feel his bond and it hums with life- Little snatches of emotion from him that she had managed to pick up- And none of them were particularly good, but none of them were particularly alarming either. Just a steady thrum of anxiety and a quiet sort of relief that she hadn't been hurt and had left of her own volition, but mostly there was hurt thrumming down their bond that made her chest ache. By the time she makes it to morning tea with Daphne and Violet (because, at this point, it was more about them than any involvement Simon would have) she has been able to pack away any of her hurt feelings at Colin's continued absence. Anthony, surprisingly, is the one who accompanies her to the morning tea and the why of that becomes obvious when he and Simon sequester themselves in Simon's office the moment after he greets his mother and Daphne.

Violet and Daphne crowd around her in concern as they seat themselves down on either side of her. They may not know the specific details of what has been happening but they know enough that they're worried.

"James found the third beta woman near the gate to Grosvenor Square" Violet said worriedly, clutching at her tea cup "It is just dreadful business- She was the Governess for the Wentworth's children, not some lady of ill repute or a harridan like the authorities on the case would have us believe." Daphne eyes Penelope before addressing the elephant in the room.

"Penelope," she says slowly, choosing her words in that careful way Daphne often did when she was broaching a subject that may be upsetting "I have been able to gather enough information from Simon to start to put together that whoever is committing these atrocious crimes is targeting beta women who share characteristics with you" she blew on her tea before looking carefully at Penelope "…even down to your scent."

Violet gaps at this, looking between Penelope and Daphne before a pale look of understanding folds over her features. "Your doctor" she breathes out "You don't think…" she trails off and a deep frown creases her brow. Penelope sighs, sitting her tea down so she can look at the both of them earnestly.

"We think it's highly likely" She looks down at her hands and picks at her nail a bit, worrying her bottom lip "We found evidence that this person is likely connected to my father in some way- And if I had to bet he has something to do with the pheromone oil being produced, I'm fairly certain that it is how he found out who I am- If he had bought the oil from a seller that is far too removed from situation for him to have found who I am unless he had enough money to grease a few palms." She swallowed nervously, looking up at the two women "I know this is inconvenient but I really must ask that neither of you or the girls go anywhere without an alpha chaperone." She makes a face at that and sits up from her slightly slouched position. "That's not to say that I'm trying to impose old traditions on you all, but we all know we can be susceptible to an Alpha bark- But so can other Alpha, which is why having one or two to chaperone wouldn't go amiss."

"Eloise will be against it," Daphne said sardonically "Just today she begged off coming in lieu of going to some-" she scrunched up her face and looked over to Violet "What was it again Mother? Something to do with flowers?" Violet nodded and swallowed before setting her cup and saucer down.

"She went to one of those lectures that they have opened to all to attend- I believe the lecture was being held near the university rather than on the property to make it accessible," Violet said, rolling her eyes at this "Because god forbid an Omega step on the hallowed grounds of higher education." There was a slightly bitter note to Violet's voice that Penelope hadn't expected. Either Violet had absorbed Eloise's thoughts on furthering the education of omega or Eloise was more like her mother than she thought. Penelope warmed at the idea of that, the thought of Violet and Eloise who were forever at odds with one another having something in common like that. Especially given the reason for Eloise's attendance at the lecture, if she had to bet it was Sir Phillip's lecture on tenant farming and how to yield more crops from the land with newer techniques. She had to bite back a grin because if she was correct El was in the midst of building her pack from the ground up so she could be with Theo Sharpe, the Omega who was printer's apprentice at the print shop she used to use for her Lady Whistledown papers.

Which, at the end of the day? That was all Violet ever really wanted for El, for her to find her pack and settle into a life that was fulfilling for her.

Penelope looked over at Daphne who subtly nodded at her, and she hoped that meant Daphe knew what El was up to, somebody had to.

"Gareth is accompanying her," Violet continued, "He said he'd be happy to because he'd met the young man doing the lecture at Lady Danbury's ball, I believe he and Eloise danced at that ball too," Violet added, a little conspiratorially.

"Colin technically introduced them-" Penelope exchanges a look with Daphne who purses her lips slightly "Formally that is, and I knew him from when he took my cousin Marina in."

"I did hear about that" Violet murmured "Does he know where Marina went?" she asked, shooting the question to Penelope who shrugs a little.

"Colin talked to him a little, from what he gathers she inherited a small fortune from the father of her children and used that money to travel to Scotland, he's not sure where she went beyond that, only that she found her scent-matched pack and is reportedly significantly happier than she was- She left a letter before she left and said she would send a letter when and if she wanted the twins to meet her."

Violet frowned a little at that before shaking her head slightly.

"I don't particularly understand why she did what she did." She said slowly "But a part of me understands why she may have left the children behind, even if I never could have done that personally with any of my children."

"Sometimes trying to bring children in from another Alpha into a pack can be tumultuous" Daphne offers "They'll either be accepted into the pack with no issue or there have been cases where the children couldn't form any familial pack strands with the adoptive pack and when their Omega mother is bonded into the pack their familial strands can sever."

Penelope blanches a little at that, remembering how faint her familial strands had been with her family. She had been under the impression that was due to her designation as a beta but knowing now that she was an Omega all along? Well.

It made her wonder at just how much blood didn't matter in the end when it came to making family ties with people.

"Now!" Violet said suddenly, clapping her hands together as though snapping shut that line of conversation "How about we do what we came here to do in the first place?" She leans over a delicate little table to her side and picks up a book filled with fabric swatches and pressed, dried flowers and- She squints- sample dance cards.

"I get the privilege of passing this onto you my dear," she says, holding the book out to Penelope, Penelope takes it into her hands and groans a little at how hefty it is. "This book has every single decision leading up to every single ball I have hosted since I became Viscountess- I dearly hope it helps you in the future. For now, you and I must confer on what we plan to do with the trip to the country this year. I've already started on some ideas" Violet says, watching as Penelope thumbs through pages full of Violet's beautiful, loopy writing. She gently takes over leafing through the pages until they get to the latest entries.

"Ah," she says "Here we are- Now, I haven't gotten very far into the planning process yet, mostly just the luncheon and day activities."

She points out where she has made a few lists of typical lawn games, and an idea for the menu for the day.

"I'm not entirely sure what theme I want to go for with the ball. However, I figured that was something we could both decide on."

"I have been thinking about that actually," Penelope mused. "I know you've done it once before when I was too young to attend, but do you think the ball could be a masquerade?" she asked. Violet brightens at this, a look of delight on her face.

"Oh, that's a fantastic idea, Penelope."

She spends the rest of the hour discussing ideas with Violet until she has to leave with Anthony.

She snuggles up next to him in the carriage and he slings an arm over her shoulder to pull her closer to him. He lays a kiss on the crown of her head and sighs into her hair.

"Everything okay?" she asks tentatively, she can feel him smile into her hair.

"As okay as it can be, are you still up to attending the Trowbridge ball?" he asks and she pulls a face at him that has him grunting "Well," he amends "I had to try."

"Even knowing we have to given the situation with my mother?" she asks, and his grim face tells her everything she needs to know.

They make it to the modiste not long after, and Genevieve pulls her into the backroom to discuss her wardrobe.

"I see you've met Madame Beaupré" Gen says, fingering the sleeve of Penelope's dress. Penelope looks at her in surprise, and Gen quirks an eyebrow at her.

"Yes," Penelope says after a moment "I would have gone with you but we were at Aubrey Hall and I needed clothes that would suit my designation." She needs Genevieve to understand that, suddenly, other than Eloise she had been one of the only women she felt she could talk candidly with, and dare she say it, call her a friend.

"Oh, I know," Gen says, squeezing her shoulders gently "I read all about your sudden designation switch in Lady Whistledown-" She leans in a little closer, catching her eyes as she looks into the mirror with her "And your pack? My goodness, Penelope, or should I say Viscountess?" She gives Penelope a sly look that has Penelope's face flushing red. "Now, what is it that you're looking for?" She asks, clearing her throat a little and falling into her professional persona. French accent included. This has Penelope's smile warming before she launches into her ideas for the Masquerade ball. Genevieve takes it all in and offers her own suggestions before slipping into her office to sift through her sketches of dresses before pulling one out to bring out to show her.

"I would need to tweak the pattern" Gen says, holding it out for Penelope to look at "But I believe this might be what you're after." Penelope tilts her head to the side and eyes the sketch, smiling when she sees the idea Gen is presenting to her.

"That," Penelope says, taking the page into her hand "Is perfect- Now I just need to sort out my pack's outfits and we're set."

"Oh, leave it to me," Gen says "I know their tailor, I've had to coordinate with them before, those boys still use the one their fathers do."

Penelope lets out a relieved sigh "Oh thank god, I couldn't imagine trying to sort that out."

It's another half hour of Genevieve draping fabric over her shoulder and her taking her measurements again just in case there have been any changes before she can finally go home. Only to begin the process of getting ready for the Trowbridge ball, that is. She's already exhausted and the day has only just begun. She's grateful for the bath after the few days she had, she sinks into the hot water gratefully and lets Tilly wash her hair. Tilly is full of chatter the entire time, and Penelope hums at what she hopes is in the right places, she's too tired to make much sense of it.

"You my Lady," Tilly says as she helps Penelope out of the bath "Need a nap." Penelope blinks blearily at her and nods. "I'll bring you up some lunch, do you want me to let your Alpha know that you'll be taking your lunch here?"

"Yes please Tilly" Penelope says.

Not much later she's tucked up in bed with lunch on her lap with Benedict feeding her bites of food. She happily lets him, and when she's full, she gives him the rest.

"Are you still okay with going tonight?" he asks, eyeing the tired slump of her shoulders.

"Why do people keep asking me that?" she asks around a yawn and when she looks over at him he has an incredulous look on his face.

"Well, it could be because you are obviously tired or it could be due to what happened the last time you went to a ball. Love, you don't always have to be on the go- You can beg off if you need to." He says in answer, face softening as he sets aside the empty plates, he pulls her close to him, kissing her soundly as he does so.

She closes her eyes and lets him pull back so she can lay her head on his shoulder.

"I'm okay Ben," she says, and it's true. "Sometimes we need to do things, this is one of the things I need to do. I won't give my mother the ammunition she needs. I want her and Prudence safe, but I cannot sacrifice my bond with my pack for her. God that sounds selfish, but it is what it is."

Benedict is quiet for a moment before he says anything, taking it in.

"Penny," he says softly, "It's okay to be selfish- Let us handle your mother and sister's safety- It's part of why we've been in talks with Simon and our fathers. We should have said something but we wanted an actionable plan before we talked to you about it."

"Do you have one yet?" she asks, looking up at him curiously. He winces a little, looking down at her.

"We've found a pack that is willing to take Prudence in as their Omega, it won't be a scent match or a love match but their head Alpha is a Baron in Scotland and their family seat is fairly removed and well guarded- She will be safe, and they're not bad men, she may even come to love them and they, her. They're a little bit older than Anthony but not by much, I think Malcolm is in his late thirties. He's the eldest and the head Alpha." He says, rubbing a gentle hand up and down her arm.

"And my mother?" she asks.

"Your mother has a sister in Ireland, she's by far not as well off as your family was but she has a sizeable home that can host your mother for a time, long enough for this mess to be sorted at least. For the time being, for a fee, we have some men keeping watch on Grosvenor Square. We just have to talk your mother and sister into agreeing." He answered, "It would be helpful if you gave us some insight on how to achieve that."

Penelope makes a disgusted noise, knowing what she has to say.

"Money," she answers a little sullenly "Money is the answer to most things with my mother, Prudence is more than likely to jump on the chance of an Alpha pack showing interest in her so if they court her, I'm sure she will be happy to go- Aunt Felicity and mother have a love/hate relationship, the issue will be keeping her from returning too soon out of spite of her sister."

She yawns again and snuggles into Benedict's embrace before drifting off.

When she awakens later, Colin is pressed up against her back, snoring into her ear. She takes the moment to soak in the warmth of him, breathing in his scent has every muscle that she hadn't known was tense relaxing. She grips his hand that lies on her stomach in hers and squeezes it. He tenses a little under her touch and she can't help the little sounds that escapes her when he does.

"Pen?" he asks, voice rough with sleep.

"Are we okay?" she asks quietly, and he clenches his hand in hers.

"Yeah," he breathes "We're okay Pen, you just scared me little one- And I needed some space to sort out my thoughts." He pulls away from her enough to roll her to face him, green eyes flitting over her face, speering her with an intense look.

"Are they sorted?" she asks, and he swallows, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.

"Yes, Gods Pen, yes-" He cups her face "I am so completely in love with you, I feel I am in turmoil. You turn me so completely upside down and I love you with the very fabric of my being." He closes his eyes, breathing sharply in through his nose "I can't-" his voice catches and he has to clear his throat before trying again. "I can't get the sight of that Beta out of my head and replacing her with you in my nightmares and the idea that you left without one of us to protect you... I. I was so angry at you- I was furious with you. I'm still finding it a little hard to forgive you but I love you too much to not forgive you." She presses her cheek into his hand and the smile she gives him trembles.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Colin, I see now that doing what I did was wrong, I wasn't thinking of the consequences when I did it. I just needed answers and that was all I could think of. I can't excuse it, there was just something niggling at me about the whole situation, my mother making her play just before the women started being murdered." She worries her lip. "There's still so much up in the air, so many things still don't make sense, but I should have stopped to think about how my actions would impact you if I had been taken." She searches his face and sucks in a breath. "The one thing I do know, that has remained true since we first become friends is that I love you too." Her voice is thick as she says this, of course, she loves all her Alpha equally since getting to know the rest of her pack but Colin will always be special as her first love.

He pulls her into a kiss that sparks along her senses, deeply and with the thrum of their feelings colliding and growing warmth in her blood down their bond. Love, it beats at her, love she sends back to him in a pulse of pure feeling. When they pull back she's panting, pupils blown, and Colin isn't much better. His hair is mussed from her hands, lips pink and swollen from their kiss.

"That was toothachingly sweet" came Benedict's voice from the doorway, startling her out of her heated perusal of Colin. "However, it's time we started getting ready for the Trowbridge ball."

Penelope sat up and threw a glare over her shoulder at Benedict who just grinned in response.

"Unless you've decided to stay home?" he questioned, eyebrows raised in question and she scowled at him in response, given he full well knew her answer to that question.

"Jesus Benedict," Colin groaned, flopping onto his back "You have the worst timing ever." Benedict huffed and pulled a pocket watch from his vest, brandishing it at them. Penelope squinted at it, noting the A.B. engraved on it.

"Actually, I think you'll find my timing is perfect," he said, sniffing in derision. "Penelope needs her hair done and we all know that takes an age." He winks at Penelope who shoots him an annoyed glare.

"I have a lot of hair," she said in response, huffing. "And besides, if you don't want Anthony murdering you, you really ought to give that back- Do I even want to know how you got it?" Benedict shrugs at her question.

"Sleight of hand Kitten, sleight of hand" he says, turning on his heel to leave the room just as they can hear Anthony yelling Benedict's name from somewhere in the house. There's the pounding sound of angry footsteps, followed by the sound of Benedict booking his way down the hall and out the door connecting the family wing to the main body of the house. Anthony appears at the door a moment later, huffing as he takes them in with a frown.

"Where's Benedict?" he asks, before a pause, and then "And why aren't you both getting ready? We have to leave in an hour and a half."

"Down the hall" Colin groans from where he's prone in the bed, "and can you call for Tilly for Penelope so she can get ready?"

Anthony nods before leaving the room.

"We live in a circus" Colin said, voice muffled under the hand he pulled down his face. "Are you sure you want to be in a pack Pen? We could run away together." She barks out a laugh at that.

"Yeah, and run away to join the circus, I have no doubts it would be more peaceful than this." She said, pulling herself out of the bed just as Tilly came into the room.

"Surprisingly, this is this pack at its most mild Pen- Remind me to tell you all about the goat Ben and Anthony let into the Principal's office in Eton," Colin said, sitting up from the bed himself so he could pull himself to standing. "I'll leave you two to it then," He stretched out with a yawn "and leave her in your capable hands Tilly." He kisses the top of Penelope's head as he leaves the room.

"Right, well, let us sort out this mop of yours my Lady," Tilly said, fingering the messy but, thankfully dry locks of Penelope's hair.

They're running a little late by the time she's ready, and Anthony walks her from their room to the entrance hall where the rest of her Alpha waits for her. Benedict curls her arm over his and Colin wraps her up in her shawl to fight off the chill in the air. The Ball is in full swing when they make their entrance, but there's an uneasy air in the room when they come in, all eyes seem to dart to them. They make their way slowly through the whispering crowd, and a few people even turn their backs to them, a cut direct that rankles Penelope's nerves- What on earth?

Eloise darts into view and drags them to their family who is huddled together.

"It's all anyone can talk about," Violet says in a low voice to Gareth who is the first to spot them other than Eloise. "Ah," she says when Gareth brings her attention to them, "There you are." She pulls them in close to close them into a circle of the family's bodies, Lady Danbury in amongst them too. "We may have to retreat from this one my dears" she says gravely "It has gotten out that you were 'On the scene' so to speak for two out of the three murders- The rumours that are flying around are outlandish." Violet's face pulls down into a grim frown. "And your mother is lapping it up, telling anybody who can hear how she always knew there was something wrong with your pack, and I'm sorry Penelope but I have never wanted to slap someone more than I do your mother right now."

Penelope looks up at her Alpha, face stricken, and now that she is listening properly there's a rumble of voices rolling through the room, the same word on their lips.

"Murderers" a woman near them spits.

The bottom of her stomach falls out at the accusation and a gurgle of nausea rolls over her as the images of the beta women flash in her mind, the blood, the gore of it- The way she had pressed her skirts to the throat of Gwen to staunch the flow of blood that had already lost enough to the gravelled pathway of the garden to spell her death.

Penelope's vision spots with blackness and her ears ring with the sound of people's accusations. She's dimly aware of somebody calling her name but she can't seem to understand it, she steps toward Anthony, but it's like trying to step through molasses. Sweat dots her brow, and every single terrible thing that has happened over the week finally catches up to her. She tries to wheeze out a breath but it's stuck in her lungs. Her vision goes black, and then blessedly, there is quiet.