9. Calliope
Calliope
My day of shopping has been a therapeutic distraction.
I love books. I love sharing books. But being a librarian is, at its core, a customer service position.
And sometimes, it burns my little introverted heart right out.
Don't get me wrong, shopping can too. But I went into Suttons Bay for a few things Dandy Stuff didn't carry, like groceries.
The food from the café lasted til this morning.
It was my day off. I put in earphones, listened to an audiobook, and sipped tea while I found a few items that hadn't come with my cottage that I'd been more than overdue to buy.
Like towels.
I've been using an old sweater as a towel for the last two weeks.
Plus, I've been running low on soaps and hair products.
I also got a few things I didn't need but desperately wanted, like some tea and a mug for the house.
My budget won't allow me to get special teas at the Café daily.
As a librarian, I make just enough to keep my head above water while paying the minimum the government will allow on my student loans.
As little as librarians are paid, we're required to get a master's in library science.
The student loan payments are astronomical even when they're interest only.
So, everything I purchase is from the clearance section. I got some good steals.
Now, my car is stuck in the snow… again.
I try digging it out with the shovel I just bought.
It isn't budging. My cottage is so far away, and the snow is pouring down.
It started on my way back from the store.
It's at least ten degrees below zero. I'm honestly not sure I can make it to my cottage.
And what if I slip or injure myself? What if I get lost?
It's a straight shot down the road, but visibility is extremely limited in the snow and darkness.
It's not unlikely that I'll get lost in the woods.
I can see the headlines in the Lakeside Gazette : "New Omega Librarian Freezes to Death. "
I really need to find something closer. Squinting through the downpour of snow sticking to my eyelashes, I spot a long lane that curves off to the left right next to my car.
Connor's lane. The man who helped me dig my car out last time.
How much of a ditz will he think I am for being unable to dig myself out again?
The wind whips around me, and my knees almost buckle from the biting cold.
I have no choice. It's the lane or freezing to death.
The trek up to the house is longer than I expect. My jaw drops when I come around the last bend in the lane. The house I'm looking at doesn't scream bachelor, but it does scream beautiful.
It's a large colonial with a giant porch and a cupola at the top. It's painted light green with white trim. Candles burn in every window. The trees circling the yard give it its own natural boundary.
Carefully, I climb up the wooden porch steps to the front door. At this point, the blizzard is in full force. The wind bowls around the house so hard that I clutch the door knob to keep from slipping. My nose and cheeks are numb.
My hands shake so hard that my knock is barely a tap. I stand there for a moment, wondering if anyone heard me. My arms are fully wrapped around me trying to stave off the chill.
The door opens, but it isn't Connor looking out at me.
It's a different alpha. Like all alphas, he's at least six feet tall with warm umber skin, sharp brown eyes, and close-cropped hair.
His muscles bulge against his lean frame under a tight-fitting, soft cotton tee with a V-neck.
Gray sweatpants hang low on his hips. For one heart stopping moment, I wonder if I've found the wrong house.
Then, a scent engulfs me. The scent of wood smoke and pine forests.
It's so soothing that I forget the freezing-cold and just inhale.
The man who opened the door steps aside as Connor appears at the door. For a moment he stares at me, then recognition crosses his face.
"Cali? Are you okay?" His voice is low and urgent as he pushes past his pack mate, pulling me into the warm room.
My body trembles. Connor rubs my arms in a slow, deliberate motion, his touch sending shivers down my spine.
He moves closer to lend me a bit more warmth. The door clicks shut behind us.
As I slowly warm up, I feel the tingling return to my fingers and the tip of my nose.
Connor's warmth envelops me, and I can almost forget about the frostbite nipping at my skin.
Thank goodness for alphas and their ability to generate heat.
Because of our freezing surroundings last time, I couldn't make out his scent.
Every moment spent in his presence is soothing, and as I breathe in I realize that his scent isn't just pleasant, it's addicting.
A feverish desire pulls me closer, igniting a fire in my core that slips between my legs.
Connor's scent is cinnamon and sandalwood, an intoxicating blend that sends shivers down my spine.
It's like the most delicious candle—tempting and warm.
To my absolute horror, I find myself moving forward and burying my face in his chest, my nose pressing against his skin as I inhale deeply, unable to resist. An ache in my core blooms, and I feel myself go slick between my legs.
What is happening to me?
Connor tenses. I start to pull back, to apologize for my insane behavior, and claim that the constant snow has caused a psychotic break, but I freeze when I see Connor's face. His pupils are wide, dark, and intent. An unspoken hunger crosses his features.
Leaning closer, he breathes in my scent. His breath brushes over my neck and sends shivers down my spine.
"Omega," he growls, the low timbre of his voice wrapping around me. My heart races, caught between a bone-deep desire to smell him again and a terrible fear that I've walked into danger.
Thoughts of flight flicker in my mind, but I quickly dismiss them, knowing their inner alphas would relish the chase.
Alpha instincts always insist they chase an omega like any predator stalking prey.
Instead, I go pliant beneath his heated gaze, surrendering.
After all, my ex had often said that submission was the only thing I did well.
"We were just discussing you, little thief," the alpha who opened the door purrs, his voice low and smoky, wrapping around the words in a sensuous embrace. His presence is magnetic, and the air thickens with the allure of his scent, drawing me closer as a shiver of excitement courses through me.
A third alpha runs into the dimly lit foyer from a room at the back.
He stubs his toe on something on the way but simply limps to me.
He approaches slowly, like one would approach a wounded bird, careful not to touch.
This new alpha's scent encircles me. It's rich and heady, a heady mix of freshly brewed coffee and smooth vanilla cream that makes my mouth water.
His presence sends a thrill down my spine, causing the heat in my core that Connor's ignited, to grow. He leaves me breathless.
Embarrassingly, I perfume right there in the middle of their foyer.
It takes me entirely by surprise. I'd been in one serious relationship, and had a few brief boyfriends before that.
But I'd never perfumed. It'd been to the point where I was afraid I couldn't. The idea that something might be defective about me caused me to bury it deep and never acknowledge it.
I'd just been proven horribly wrong. I'm not broken.
I can perfume….and I'm doing it—hard—for these three alphas.
I want to die of mortification.
"Do you smell that, Seth?" the one at the door asks the one with the sandy blonde hair and beard who just smelled me.
"Perfection, Bax," the one called Seth rumbles. I look up at Connor and find him looking at me in amazement.
"What's your name, little thief?" the one called Bax asks. "Did Connor say, Cali?"
"Why do you keep calling me that?" I ask. I've never stolen anything a day in my life.
"Today, we found your scent in our Café even though it hadn't been there the night before. So, the only explanation we could think of was that you broke in," Connor says.
I groan internally. They own Evergreen Cafe. This probably means… I look at Bax. That was the name Clara said when she said that her cousin owned the Café, right?
"I don't suppose you're Clara's cousin?" It all made so much sense now. Bax's eyes widen, and he laughs in surprise. It's a deep, rich sound that warms me to my core.
"I see. Did Clara take you on one of her late-night raids of the Café pantry?"
Heat floods my cheeks.
"She said… I wasn't stealing… I paid." I can't breathe between all these delicious scents.
Bax leans in closer, his voice low and smooth as he crouches down, bringing himself to my eye level.
The warmth of his presence wraps around me.
"It's okay, Raindrop," he murmurs, his intense gaze sincere.
"Yes, we're the Evergreen Pack. We own the Evergreen Café.
You can take anything from our home and our café that you need.
We want you to have everything you desire.
" His words send a delightful shiver down my spine.
His gaze drifts over me. The ache in my core intensifies.
I perfume again. I can't seem to stop. Bax makes a pleased sound.
I'm so confused. I pull away from Connor just enough to look up at him, then at Bax, and over to Seth. I've just met them, but their scents and presence feel so good. Connors's arms are still around me, and his hands flex at my sides. Heat licks at where he touches.
"Why don't we go sit down and figure everything out?" Connor suggests, and I'm so grateful. I'm starting to feel dizzy from their presence.