Chapter 6
Wren
A soft knock on my door the next morning woke me up. It was an awful night of tossing and turning, trying to convince myself not to pack up and move again.
I barely spoke to my roommates on the way back, even though they were ranting on my behalf. When we got home, I pretty much ran to my room and locked myself in. My first instinct was to curl up in my nest, but I couldn’t make myself do it, it was too white and too plain.
Plus, without my omega pushing me to follow my instincts, it wasn’t the same.
Knowing I couldn’t avoid them, and they didn’t deserve that anyway, I finally called out a response.
“Come in.”
Grace and Devon both walked in, each one sitting beside me on the bed like we’d been friends for years. Grace snuggled under the covers while Devon simply rested back against the headboard, his arm pressing against mine in silent reassurance.
They didn’t look at me any differently, and I think that was the only thing really keeping me together at this point.
“Just for the record,” Devon said. “I didn’t look you up online, and I have no intentions of doing it. If you want to tell me about your past, you tell me. That will be the only place I get my information. That lady last night was way out of line.”
“Sidney sent me a text last night to check in on you,” Grace said. “She said the Whitakers banned her from the bar. They even did a PSA video.”
She tapped up her phone and pulled up a PackVlog video, turning it to show me Nash’s face. Generally, the alpha was smiling and flirting with the camera, but right now he was working his jaw, tensing and untensing hard enough that it looked like he might crack a tooth.
“This is usually not the place for serious chats, but here we are. I need everyone to know that if you come into my bar and speak to any omega the way I witnessed last night, I will tell you right now, you will be banned from my bar and blacklisted. I will share the same message with every person in this town. Whitaker Brews is a place for alphas, betas, and omegas to enjoy a night, dance, have a few drinks, and connect with friends. It is not, and never will be, a place for hate. That will never be tolerated.”
“I’m kind of surprised,” I admitted as I dragged my eyes from the handsome alpha on screen, to Grace. My fingers were playing with the edge of my blanket as I tried not to show how much it bothered me. “He was really quiet last night. He didn’t say anything until we left.”
“He’s not the confrontational type, but, apparently, he laid into her, kicked her out and her entire group. He even snapped her picture to hang on the wall.”
“Good. She was awful,” Devon said. “No one deserves to be treated like that.” He reached over and gave my hand a quick squeeze. His fingers lingered on mine for a moment more than would be considered normal, but I didn’t mind. I soaked in his warmth.
“I’m not really comfortable going into the details yet, but I promise to tell you guys more eventually.”
“Wren, we don’t need to know your whole life story to be friends with you. This was a new beginning for us all, so let’s embrace it. Don’t let her set you back and make you hide away in here.”
“I feel like all I’ve been doing is hiding,” I said, letting my head fall back against the headboard and closing my eyes in defeat.
“Then it sounds like today is the perfect day to reclaim your life. Get out there and show your face, make sure they know that you are not backing down and not hiding away. You deserve to take up space in this town just like any of us,” Grace said, not letting this go, either. I didn’t have one person in my corner, but two.
Two more than I had during the trial and after. I’d take it.
“I could use a little retail therapy,” I agreed. “And I wouldn’t say no to some greasy diner food.”
“Oh, then we have you covered,” Grace said, ruthlessly tossing the covers off of me. “Now get up and change, because I’m feeling waffles.”
She was already halfway out of the room, giving us orders to hurry up before disappearing.
“Do you need help getting dressed?” Devon teased, bumping his shoulder into mine.
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “I think I can manage it today.”
At first, I thought he was joking, but then I saw the heat in his eyes. As much as I wanted him, I wasn’t sure I was ready for anything.
My body was on board. A surge of warmth swept through me, slick dampening my underwear in response. It was the most my omega had reacted, though she was still a distant memory.
“Another time, then,” he said, giving me a wink before pushing off the bed and walking out.
Was I reading this wrong? Did this omega just shoot his shot?
Honestly, the idea of giving an omega a chance over an alpha had quite the appeal. With an omega, I didn’t have to worry about him coercing me into anything.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him the entire time I took a shower, brushed out my long, blonde hair, and tied it into a side braid before pulling on a comfortable shopping outfit.
It was pretty warm outside, so I found a cute crop top and soft, black overalls. I slid my feet into my white sneakers and loaded my things into a black mini backpack.
It had been a long time since I had done anything for myself, and they were right. This was supposed to be a fresh start. How could I expect my omega to come out of hiding if I wasn’t even giving her the things that she would need?
Grace and Devon were waiting for me by the front door. Grace didn’t call me on taking my time, she just launched into making plans.
“Most of the places in town do delivery for big orders, so if we do end up buying nesting stuff, we don’t have to worry about carrying it back. We’re right in the middle of town, so I thought we’d just go on foot,” Grace said as we walked out and locked the door behind us.
“Works for me, I’m used to walking,” I said. The traffic in the city was way too congested to be driving back and forth all the time. Especially for something as simple as going down to the shopping district.
The diner was pretty busy when we got there, but Grace managed to snag a corner booth, sliding in and waving us forward, ignoring the pack that was heading that way.
“For someone so tiny, you sure know how to command a room, don’t you?” Devon said as he slid around the booth, giving me room.
When I sat down, he scooted closer, his leg pressing against mine. I could feel my cheeks warming, and the urge to touch him was strong, but I fought it.
An older woman hurried over to take our order, but it was so busy that we didn’t get much more than a hello and a jotting down of what we wanted before she was off again.
“Don’t mind Sandy, she’s just like that,” Grace said before we could say a word. “It’s always really busy here. She is professional but isn’t chatty.”
“As long as she brings me pancakes, I don’t really care,” I said to reassure her. Grace seemed to be trying to sell us on this town but I was already in love with Rockwood Valley.
Minus our interaction last night.
“Where are we heading after this?” Devon asked.
“Well, we need groceries. I wouldn’t mind a trip to the bakery because I keep thinking about their croissants, and then there’s the nesting store. The inventory isn’t huge, but she can order anything she doesn’t have on hand. That woman is a genius when it comes to matching aesthetics. It could be worth a shot. If it doesn’t work out, we can always head out of town later.”
I was glad Grace had it all planned out because I was just along for the ride at this point.
Thankfully, Sandy didn’t take long to come back with our plates. That was the best part of eating at a diner, it never took them long to get things off the griddle and onto the table.
Sandy distributed the plates with efficiency, giving us each a refill before she was bustling off to another table to take care of business. She may not be the usual bubbly waitress, but she was good at her job, and that was a plus.
How could I complain when I had two stacks of chocolate chip pancakes in front of me and fluffy, cheesy scrambled eggs?
“Man, I should have ordered what you had,” Devon teased, glancing from my plate to Grace’s huge waffle topped with whipped cream and berries.
He had opted for biscuits and gravy and a side of hash browns, which looked equally as delicious.
After doctoring the pancakes, I cut off a bite, popping it into my mouth and groaning as gooey chocolate and fluffy pancakes hit me. They were honestly some of the best I’ve ever had.
“Oh my God, you have to try this!” I said, holding out my fork for Devon without even thinking. I probably should have worried if he wanted to share with me at all, but he didn’t hesitate to wrap his lips around it.
His warm, brown eyes were now full of heat as he slowly slid his mouth off, but the moment the taste hit his tongue, his flirting was over. Devon’s eyes rolled back and he groaned just like I did.
It was far too sexy for this early in the morning, and I had to bite my lip and clench my thighs together to stop my body from reacting.
It was absolutely useless. I could already feel slick forming, and we were simply sharing a bite of food.
This omega had more sex appeal in one simple movement than I had in my entire body.
I glanced over at Grace, relieved to see that she was already digging into her food and glancing around the room, people watching. I don’t know if it was to avoid us, but it seemed like she was oblivious.
Thank God, or that would have gotten real awkward, real fast.
If we crossed the line of roommates, it wouldn’t be good for us. I also refused to use an amazing man like Devon to find my footing or my confidence again.
He deserved far better than that.
He kept his leg pressed to mine while I kept my attention on my food and the conversation for the rest of the meal.
As soon as Sandy dropped off the check, I snatched it and hurried up to the register, paying and giving them a generous tip.
The food was phenomenal, and it was the first meal I had out in a long time that wasn’t awkward or terrifying.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Devon huffed. “But thank you for breakfast.”
“No problem,” I grinned triumphantly, feeling like I won something.
“You two are dorks,” Grace laughed. “The Omega store’s just on the road, let’s hit that first. My Nest is pretty much complete, but I wouldn’t say no to some finishing touches.”
She was tugging us down the street toward the store at a half-run.
“Do you have a nest?” I asked Devon as we followed.
“Of course,” he said. “Well, it’s not set up quite yet. Right now it’s pretty blank, but I’ve got a vision in mind.”
“Now I feel unprepared,” I half-joked. The reality was I didn’t know how to do this right now. My omega usually guided me and I was pulled toward certain things. Now, I just felt empty and out of my depths.
He gave me that same charming side smile as he looped his arm through mine. “No backing out now.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, letting their excitement distract me from my emptiness.
“To continue our questions… has anybody gotten close to packing up?” Devon asked, his arm still linked through mine.
Grace huffed dramatically, tossing her curly hair over her shoulder. “I tried that PackVlog dating profile for a while, and it was terrible. Then my sister was interviewing a pack that I thought I was compatible with, but when we met up the next time, it was like there was no chemistry. I mean, their scent was nice and it was appealing enough that I think I got my own hopes up, but… I don’t think I’ve ever met a more boring pack in my life. They also seemed to think that I was way too much. They tried to get me to calm down every time we met up and it was annoying as fuck.”
“Then they can go find someone as boring as they are,” Devon said, offended on her behalf. As he should be. Trying to change someone on the first few dates was a huge red flag.
“Don’t change for anyone. I love how bubbly you are.”
Grace smiled, ducking her head a little bit. I had a feeling she needed to hear that.
“What about you, Wren?” she asked, looking up at me and grinning. “Any high school sweethearts or big city packs? I bet the dating pool is huge out there.”
I guess they truly hadn’t looked me up.
“I’ve all but sworn off alphas,” I admitted. “I’m not even interested in a pack. But no, there’s no one in my past. Just normal, casual dating.”
“Same,” Devon said. “The casual dating was the worst. I’m ready to find a pack. Unfortunately for me, it takes a certain kind of alpha to handle all of this.”
He waved a hand down his body and gave us a cocky grin.
“I’m a little bit of a diva when it comes to what I need from my alphas. I’m not ashamed to admit it.”
“Aren’t we all?” Grace teased.
She stopped walking and pulled open the door to a fairly plain-looking storefront. I let out a small gasp as soon as I stepped inside.
It was gorgeous in here. Even with the scent dampeners making it smell a little too clinical, there was an array of cozy pillows, blankets, and furnishings in just about every color you could imagine. They even had it set up by theme and had displays of mock-nests to show them off.
Honestly, whoever was behind the store was a design genius.
“Can I help you?” a small omega asked as she hurried over. She had poofy, gray hair and big glasses that she pushed up her nose as she took us in. “My, my, three Omegas? Isn’t this a treat?”
“You say that now,” Devon said. “I’ve been told once or twice that I’m a pain in the ass.”
Her grin widened. “Good thing I love a good challenge, and it’s been a very boring day. Do you want my help or do you want to browse first?” she asked, looking at me and Grace this time.
“I think I’m just going to look around,” I said.
“Me, too. I only need a few things,” Grace agreed. “Devon is all yours.”
He glanced around, looking a bit overwhelmed like me. “My Nest is pretty much a blank canvas.”
“Oh, we can’t have that,” she said, sweeping him away to the counter where she grabbed a notebook and a tablet so they could get down to business.
Grace hurried toward the bright colored section as I started walking up and down the aisles. I wanted to see everything before making any decisions.
My old nest was nice, but a bit impersonal. I pretty much did everything in shades of blue. It was an ocean theme I picked out from a big box store. It was nice enough, but it didn’t feel right.
No nest really had. I always assumed it was the lack of scents from a pack. Maybe I just hadn’t given myself a chance to find the right things.
Knowing my roommates wouldn’t be happy if I left with nothing, I started piling my own cart with whatever stood out to me. I didn’t go with the theme this time, I just opted for colors that made me happy.
In the end, I ended up with an array of deep, vibrant colors and more pillows than I knew what to do with. I even found the cutest string of little paw print lights and a pillow that matched.
That was one of the worst things that those alphas took from me. The joy of my job had been something that had defined me for so long. I put my heart and soul into working with animals, and when I couldn’t leave the house anymore, I lost that.
“Hey, are you all right?” Grace asked, her voice gentle. I jumped, not realizing she’d joined me or that I’d stopped moving.
I hated that my roommates were constantly having to check in on me. I wanted to be stronger.
I was strong. I just happened to be so out of my element lately that I didn’t know what was up or down anymore.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking how much I miss my old job. I was a vet tech before everything happened, and before that, I worked with an animal rescue. I think I really miss that part of my life.”
Her eyes lit up as I finished speaking, practically vibrating with the need to tell me whatever she thought of.
“Wait, that’s perfect! Hailey was just telling me that the local rescue farm was looking for a trained tech to work with the animals. Since it’s a rescue, they need a little more help than just a caretaker. I can get you the details if you want.”
“Actually, yes,” I said, not wanting to pass up the opportunity. My therapist told me to settle in and take time off or I would go crazy.
Working on a farm would mean fresh air and working with animals again. It sounded perfect.
Maybe this was a sign that things were turning around.
It had to be.