Chapter 80
King
The festival was winding down, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off my girl. The omegas were sprawled across a large quilt, oblivious to the flurry of activity around them as Stanley directed the volunteers on the proper event teardown procedure.
I shifted my weight, feeling antsy. I had a surprise for my pack, but we couldn’t go until Wilder returned. He’d wandered off somewhere a little while ago and wasn’t answering my texts.
“It’s pretty much impossible to stop them once they get going,” Lars said, nodding at the omegas as he joined me at the edge of the field.
I grinned as Lucy did a spot-on impression of Stanley waving his clipboard in the air. “Lucy said they’re having a movie night at the lighthouse this Friday?”
Lars lifted his chin. “Just a heads-up—movie night often ends with them scheming up some sort of prank against us.”
Somehow that wasn’t hard to imagine. I didn’t mind harmless pranks as long as my little brat knew it would earn her a post-movie-night spanking.
“To comply with their no-boys-allowed rule, we usually meet up with Logan, Rome, and James for dinner.” Lars rubbed the back of his neck. “You, Wilder, and Leo would be welcome to join us. If you wanted to.”
My breath caught, but I tamped down my excitement. I needed to play this cool. “Have you decided to spare us from Easton’s pig farming revenge?”
Lars muttered something under his breath.
“As long as you don’t hurt my sister. I guess you’re part of the family now.
” He said it so begrudgingly I had to laugh.
I couldn’t blame him—I was sure I’d feel just as protective if I had a sister—but winning over my omega’s brother felt like a genuine victory.
“I appreciate the invite. We’d love to—”
A shrill scream broke the air and my body tensed, ready to spring into action, until I realized Stanley had made the noise.
I cocked my head at the scene playing out before us.
Summer was running around the field, waving Stanley’s clipboard in her hand as he chased her and the other three omegas cheered her on.
Lars shook his head, but he was smiling. “I’ll see you Friday.” And with that, he strode over to his omega, threw her over his shoulder, and headed toward the lighthouse while Lucy and Ivy booed him for spoiling their fun.
“Summer better be careful or Stanley’s going to write a new town ordinance that prohibits the stealing of clipboards.” My heart skipped a beat as Leo joined me.
His curls fell down his forehead and I brushed them to the side. He pressed a kiss to my palm before entwining our fingers.
“Lucy’s moms invited us over tomorrow for dinner and said to bring my family, too,” he said. “I have a feeling our parents are entering some sort of competition for who can be the most hospitable.”
I grinned. “We’re the real winners in that competition.”
We’d had our first big family dinner at the Azad house last week, and it had been pure chaos…
and completely wonderful. It was everything I’d wished I’d had growing up—loving parents, loud siblings, warmth, hugs, and endless good food.
We’d all ended up in their backyard, where Lucy had explained her precise technique for roasting the perfect marshmallow, resulting in all of us presenting copious marshmallows to her for judging.
Honestly, it was impressive how she’d managed to get an endless supply of s’mores without lifting a finger.
“Lars invited us to get dinner with his and Ivy’s pack while the girls are having their movie night.”
“Look at you.” Leo grinned and nudged my side. “Making friends all around town.”
I snorted, but our bond meant I couldn’t hide my warm, syrupy feelings.
Leo briefly let go of my hand to adjust his hold on his cane.
“How’s your knee? Are you in pain?”
He pulled me close and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m fine.” His lips skimmed my cheek until they brushed the shell of my ear. “Are you jealous I’m not using the cane you got me?” His voice was low and sultry, making my cock twitch.
I gripped the back of his neck, making sure my thumb rubbed the bond mark I’d put there. His pupils dilated and breath hitched.
“Am I interrupting?” Wilder’s voice jolted us back to reality.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“You seriously don’t want to know.” He shook his head. “Blossom is hanging out with Felix. Are we ready to go?”
“I have something I want to show you all,” I said.
I tugged on my bond with Lucy and she spun around, eyes scanning until she spotted the three of us. She skipped over, her floral skirt catching in the wind with each bounce.
“Hey!” She half crashed into me with a wide smile. “You ready to go?”
Leo tugged her into his arms. “King has something to show us, apparently.”
“Oohhh, what is it?”
“It’s a surprise,” I responded.
Lucy jutted her lip out in a pout. “Or you could tell me now.”
I shook my head. “I’m going to grab my car.
” We weren’t going far at all, but the fastest way to get there was walking along the beach, and I didn’t want the sand aggravating Leo’s leg.
“I’ll pick you all up at the road in a minute.
” I gripped Lucy’s chin and gave her a hard kiss.
“Behave.” I did the same to Leo. “You, too.”
Lucy leaned against Wilder and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “He didn’t tell you to behave,” she said. “So it’s your job to cause all the chaos.”
I shook my head but couldn’t stop my smile.
I’d smiled more the past couple of weeks than in my entire life.
“Oooh, the surprise is the beach?” Lucy asked as we got out of the car.
“We were literally just by the beach. This same beach,” Wilder said.
“No grumpiness allowed today.” Lucy poked his side and squealed when he swooped her up into his arms.
“Lead the way, King,” he said, grinning.
I kept my arm around Leo as we headed down the sandy path to the water, helping him stay balanced as his cane sank into the sand with every step.
I stopped before we’d gone too far. “You know I’ve been working on that commercial real estate deal? Well, this is the property.”
“Wait, you’re selling this land?” Lucy’s face fell and a pang of sadness reached me through the bond. “When you said commercial property, I was expecting an office building or warehouse. This is beautiful.”
“Seems a shame to let this area be developed,” Wilder said.
I turned to Leo, waiting for his opinion, but he just smirked and met my eyes with a knowing gaze. Our bond was filled with amusement, not disappointment. I brushed my hand through my hair. Being this seen was…unsettling but also wonderful.
“I’m glad you feel that way because I’ve decided not to sell it to the developer.”
Lucy perked up. “Yeah? What are you going to do with it?”
“Most of the land will be put in a permanent trust for wildlife and land conservation, with the exception of the section we’re standing on now. I was thinking we could build a house on it.”
“A house?” Lucy breathed.
“We don’t have to if there’s a location you like better. I was just thinking we need a real pack house, one that’s secluded enough for the mountain grump”—I jerked my head at Wilder, who rolled his eyes—“while still being an easy commute to town.”
Lucy let out an excited squeal and hopped out of Wilder’s arms. “I love this idea.” Then her face fell. “But wait, what will you do? Can you permanently work remotely, or will you still have to travel into New York?”
Fuck. I had been so deep in my head planning this surprise that I hadn’t actually communicated with my pack. “Well, I may have already handed in my resignation to the board,” I said sheepishly. I’d told them last week and recommended Caroline to replace me as CEO.
My three packmates stared at me in stunned silence until Leo cleared his throat.
“Any other major life changes we should know about?” he asked dryly.
“No. Well, okay, I started a nonprofit for ocean conservation, but I haven’t mailed in the paperwork, so it’s not final or anything,” I muttered.
“You are ridiculous.” Leo pulled me into a hug, and before I knew it, all three of them had their arms around me, squeezing.
“It’s a good plan,” Wilder said.
“It’s a great plan,” Lucy emphasized as she bounced in my arms. “How soon can we get the house built? Can I design my nest? What if we have a whole floor for my nest? The Nest Wonderland catalog from March had this huge attic room nest with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams, and I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. ”
I chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Of course you can, baby girl. We can make it whatever you want. I have an architect lined up, and I talked to the construction crew working on that new shop beside Summer’s place.
They’re available to start construction right away.
We’re still looking at a six-month wait at the earliest, but probably closer to a year.
” I ran my fingers through her hair. “If you still want to have a heat this fall, we can make it work in your apartment again, or we can rent a nest. There are some really nice heat clinics in Boston.”
She cupped my face with both hands and pulled me down to her level. “We’ll figure it out. As long as we’re together.”
Her lips were plush and soft as she kissed me, her sweetness settling into my soul.