6. Easton
6
EASTON
It was Thursday, and there was no sign of Olive. I’d been sitting by the living room window for hours, waiting to see the cute omega coming down the road on her bike. The one time I’d had to go to the bathroom, I’d sprinted there and back to make sure I didn’t miss her.
But the sun was setting, and she still wasn’t here.
I knew how much she bought at the store. It wasn’t much—just what she could bring home on her bike. She didn’t have enough food to skip her grocery shopping. Memories of staring down an empty pantry as a child flooded me, and my alpha roared for me to go get her. Feed her. Love her.
I waited another few anxious minutes, and then I’d had it. I couldn’t go a full week without my Olive sighting. A realization struck me—this was the perfect excuse to ask her to dinner. Showing up at her house would show her how committed I was, and taking her to dinner would show her omega I could provide for her.
My chest filled with excitement. This was it, my chance to win Olive over. I could feel it.
I pulled on a jacket and bounded out of the door. I jogged down the path to the lighthouse, even though my body wasn’t quite built for running, and I tripped a few times. Was this path even safe for Olive to bike on? My chest squeezed until it was hard to breathe, but I pushed myself to run faster. Images of Olive being hurt flashed through my mind. What if she’d injured herself, and that’s why she hadn’t come into town?
I turned around the bend and the lighthouse came into view, along with the silhouette of three figures. For a moment, I thought Olive was in the group, but as I got closer, my heart sank. It was a group of omegas from town—Ivy, Lucy, and Summer. Lucy was Lars’s sister, so I knew her the best of the three. As I grew nearer, I saw they were dragging a wagon filled with food and other housewarming gifts.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” I said, trying to sound calm. “What are you up to?”
“Oh, hi, Easton,” Lucy said, a bright smile on her face. “We’re bringing Olive her welcome basket.” She bit her lip. “We should have brought it weeks ago when she moved in, but I couldn’t quite get it organized in time.”
I knew from Lars that Lucy had been going through a lot with her recent breakup.
“What are you doing here?” Summer asked, arching an eyebrow.
I opened my mouth and then closed it. What could I say to avoid sounding like a stalker? “I wanted to ask Olive to dinner,” I finally said.
Lucy squealed. “Oh my gosh! Are you interested in her? What about Lars and Finn? Are you planning to court her?”
“He might want to keep that private,” Ivy said gently.
Lucy crossed her arms with a huff that made me grin. She shared my impatience.
“I just want to get to know her better,” I said. Liar liar liar my alpha chanted, but it wasn’t like I could say Olive is mine even though she doesn’t know it yet and I’m going to bite her and fuck her and take care of her forever.
“We should probably get moving before it gets dark,” Summer said, eyeing the pink streaks in the sky above the churning ocean.
I hadn’t been back to the lighthouse since Finn’s grandparents passed away and had forgotten how breathtaking it was out here. The lighthouse carried so many happy memories. It was where Lars, Finn, and I became a family—those long days swimming and playing at the beach, helping Fredrik with lighthouse maintenance and Carina with the garden.
I hoped Olive found this place as comforting as I did.
I took the wagon and pulled it the rest of the way to the door. Lucy knocked, practically brimming with excitement as she waited for a response.
None came.
Her smile fell a little. “I caught up with her last week in town, and she said sometimes she’s up in the lighthouse and might not hear the door.” She knocked again, louder this time.
My heart pounded faster. The panic that something catastrophic had happened returned full-force. What if she’d hit her head on a rock? Tripped and broken her ankle? Been taken by a riptide out to sea?
A ferocious meow sounded behind the door, and then it slowly creaked open, revealing Olive. I immediately knew something was wrong. Olive was always dressed nicely. I’d never seen her in town without an outfit so fucking cute it made me want to squeeze her body and rumple her perfect little clothes. Today, though, she was wearing baggy sweatpants, her fingers twisting in the cuffs of her sweatshirt. Her hair was limp, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her scent was strong and acidic with distress. My chest seized, and the world seemed to grow dark. There was no sunshine when Olive was unhappy.
Lucy seemed to falter for a moment before smiling widely. “Hey, Oli. I hope we’re not disturbing you. We just wanted to bring you your welcome basket.” She gestured wildly at the large basket sitting on top of the wheeled cart. “And this is Ivy and Summer. Ivy teaches at the school.” When Olive didn’t say anything, she continued. “And Summer is a great cook. She added some food to the basket so you know it’s going to be good. Not like when I cook.” Lucy forced a laugh.
Olive’s eyes flickered to my face before she looked down at the ground.
“Oh, and this is Easton,” Lucy said, her chipper tone just slightly strained. “He’s not part of the Welcoming Committee.”
Olive’s shoulders hunched in even more, and she swallowed hard but still said nothing. The omegas shifted uncomfortably, and Lucy’s eyes flitted to mine.
I cleared my throat. “You okay, Olive?” I asked. Tell me what’s wrong, baby. I’ll fix it for you.
Olive took a deep breath. “I’m fine,” she said, tone harsh and eyes on the ground. “I just don’t need any intrusions.”
And with that, she stepped inside and shut the door on us.
A long beat of silence followed as the four of us tried to make sense of what had just happened.
“I’m not going to say ‘I told you so,’” Summer said. “Wait, no. Actually, I am. I told you so . Not everyone wants a whole welcome committee at their door.”
“Was it something I said?” Lucy asked quietly.
Ivy rubbed Lucy’s shoulder. “I don’t think so. But maybe this was too overwhelming. We can just leave the basket and maybe try another time without a whole group of us.” She looked at me, but my eyes were still fixed on the closed door. I was fighting my instincts hard—my alpha was screaming at me to go after Olive.
The omegas left the basket on the doorstep. When I didn’t move to leave with them, Lucy spoke up. “Are you coming, Easton?”
I rubbed my neck. “Umm, I think I’m going to stay. Check out the ocean.”
Summer arched her eyebrows, and Ivy hid what looked like a smile behind her hand.
“Check out the ocean?” Lucy spoke the words slowly as if they would make more sense that way.
“You know, the waves.” I cleared my throat. “Sand.” I gestured at the shore.
“Come on, Lucy,” Summer said, fixing me with a look that was a little too perceptive for my liking. “How about we get some pumpkin spice lattes?”
Lucy perked up at that and followed her friends down the path, turning to look back at me multiple times until they made it around the bend.
I took a deep breath and turned back to the door. I knocked again, hoping Olive would answer if there were fewer people. But there was still no response.
Helplessness washed over me like the choppy ocean waves. How could I fix whatever was going on with her if she kept the door shut? My heart pounded, and I had to practice the breathing exercises I’d learned in therapy.
Breaking down her door was probably too much, so I forced my feet to head down to the water. I sat down on the large flat rock I’d spent hours on as a kid. I’d even slept on it for a couple of nights when things got too bad at my house. Carina had found me one morning, horrified, and told me I would be sleeping inside with them. No arguments.
I missed her and Fredrik. I wished I could talk to Finn about them, but he shut down anytime I brought them up. I twisted my fingers in my sweater. I just wanted all the people in my life to be happy, would do anything to make it happen.
Stars dotted the sky as the sun sank below the horizon. I sighed and got up, making my way up the path to the lighthouse. My heart leapt when I walked around the front of the house and saw the welcome basket was gone. A smile spread across my face. Olive was inside and had food for dinner.
Maybe gifts were the key to winning her over. Omegas loved presents, at least according to the online articles I’d read. I broke out into a sprint back to town. What could I get her? Definitely more food, and not just the staples she usually got. She deserved all the treats. And what about cozy things? I could get her blankets or even a new jacket for winter. One that smelled like me.
Main Street came into focus, and I tripped as I ran to Lucy’s shop, Spring in Your Stitch. She tailored and sewed clothes and was the perfect person to help me find Olive a jacket. I growled when I saw her shop was closed. I whirled around, scanning the street. Almost everything was closed. Damn these small-town hours.
I trudged to the market. At least I could get her food. Omegas liked sweet things, right? I should buy one of everything until I figured out what her favorites were.
The market door opened and Carmen stepped out, her hands full of papers. I quickened my pace so I could hold the door open for her.
“Thanks, honey,” she said. “I just remembered I told Stanley I’d get him this paperwork by 5:00 p.m.”
“It’s almost seven,” I said with a wry grin, which Carmen returned.
“It’s good for him. Helps him loosen up. I don’t know how Harry deals with that man—” Carmen was cut off as Felix darted in front of her, causing her to trip. I threw my arm out to prevent her from falling, but all the papers flew from her hands.
“Felix!” she shrieked. The cat fixed her with a sharp expression, meowed, and ran away.
Carmen huffed as she crouched down to gather the papers. I joined her, chasing after some that the wind was carrying off.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into Felix lately,” she said. “I barely see him in town anymore and now he does this?”
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t seen Felix around for weeks. He was a Starlight Grove mainstay, keeping a sharp eye on things and selecting one lucky person’s house to sleep at each night.
I glanced down at the papers in my hand and furrowed my brow. “Historic Lighthouse Restoration Grant Application?”
“Yeah, we won a government grant to restore the lighthouse. I was surprised your pack didn’t apply for it.”
“I didn’t even know this was a thing.” My heart raced, and I could see everything coming together like magic, like destiny . “When’s the deadline to apply?”
“5:00 p.m. today,” Carmen said.
I fixed her with my most charming smile. “Have I mentioned how radiant you look?”
Carmen pursed her lips, but there was a twinkle in her eye. “What, are you interested in applying?”
“You know how much I care about the lighthouse.” But especially the lighthouse keeper .
Carmen fixed me with a piercing expression as if she could hear my unspoken words. “How about this—I was going to drop these off and head to Rosie’s for dinner, but I could inconveniently leave them in my office, forcing me to come back here after dinner to give them to Stanley.”
“You are an angel, Carmen.” I took all the papers from her hand and ran inside the store to her office.
This was it. I would apply for the grant. We would get it, of course . Finn was a literal restoration architect, and Lars and I covered woodwork and electrical.
I started filling out the forms with a shaking hand. I couldn’t believe Finn hadn’t heard of this application. My pack brothers would be so excited when I told them I won this grant for us, and it would perfectly position them to fall in love with Olive like I had. Then we would be a pack, and everything would be perfect.