Chapter 44 Rose
Rose
I wake up with regret in my heart and a pounding in my skull.
I don’t usually get sick from drinking—thank god—but the headache always comes as punishment for those few too many.
Evander had been mixing drinks all night.
Along with being the pack’s lawyer, he apparently moonlights as a mixologist and makes all the restaurants drink menus too. Of course he does.
I reach for the left side of the bed and find… nothing. The sheets are cool and wrinkled under my palm. I try the other side. Also empty. My brow furrows as I blink into the dim light. The room is quiet. The door is shut.
No one’s here.
I haven’t woken up to an empty bed since I told the guys about my touch deprivation.
Images from last night crash through my head—Russian Mules and sugary cocktails, shots with the girls in the back, laughter, carols, dancing.
At the time it felt perfect. But now? Now I can’t stop wondering if I only thought everyone was having fun.
What if I embarrassed them? What if they’re in the living room right now regretting me?
Memories of other Christmas parties flood in. Ones where I sat still and smiled just right, where I was scolded afterward for being too loud, too messy, too me.
My chest tightens. My scent must be souring.
Before I can fully spiral, the door creaks open. Kai pokes his head in. He smiles when he sees me and then frowns, sniffing the air.
“Rosie,” he says softly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “You okay?”
He looks so gentle it hurts. My breath catches, and before I can answer, a thick tear spills down my cheek.
His eyes widen. Then he’s crossing the room in two strides, climbing into bed and gathering me into his arms. His warmth seeps into me immediately, grounding and unbearable all at once.
“What happened?” he asks, utterly bewildered.
I sniffle against his shirt and try to explain—how I woke up alone, how the old panic came back, how I started thinking maybe I did something wrong.
He doesn’t say anything right away, just rubs small circles between my shoulder blades. When I finally look up, his lips are curved in a soft, crooked smile.
“Will you come with me, Rosie? Please?” he asks softly.
Kai takes my hand, helping me up. He leads me out into the living room.
The first thing that hits me is the smell—bacon and something sweet, buttery. Then I see it. Garland draped over the fireplace. Twinkle lights framing the television. My couch covered in ridiculous Santa-themed blankets.
But it’s the stockings that undo me.
Six of them hang from the mantel, each in a different Christmas pattern. Each embroidered with one of their names—and one in the middle with mine.
My breath catches. Tears fill my eyes again, but this time they don’t sting. They’re warm and bright and full of love. Every alpha is seated around my little table, a beautiful breakfast spread before them.
“What is all this for?” I ask through hiccuping tears.
Harlan reaches out a hand, and I walk straight to him. His palm is steady, grounding.
“Do you remember asking us about bonding last night?” he asks gently.
My heart plummets. “I—no,” I admit, voice small.
He smiles, kind and quiet. Oh god. Is this them trying to let me down easy?
Harlan’s expression hardens as soon as he reads my scent turning sharp. “What’s the matter, Starlight?” he asks, his tone edged with concern.
“She thinks she embarrassed us last night. That we don’t want her anymore,” Kai says casually.
I shoot him a look that could cut glass. If my head didn’t hurt so much, I’d tackle him. He just smirks.
Harlan doesn’t smirk. He doesn’t even blink. His big hand catches my chin, tipping it up until I have no choice but to meet his gaze. His presence fills the room, quiet and absolute.
“You do not embarrass us,” he growls, voice low and rough as thunder. “You’re our omega. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Alpha,” I whisper. The words come out like a vow.
The sound that follows is primal. It's a chorus of low, rumbling growls that vibrate through the floorboards. Logan’s and Evander’s eyes go molten, hungry.
The air thickens, heavy with want. I can’t stop imagining it.
Them on their knees before me, Harlan behind me, his voice a command and a promise.
Heat crawls up my spine before I can stop it, and my scent blooms. It's sharp, sugary, peppermint-sweet. Harlan’s head dips to my shoulder, his growl slipping out soft and possessive.
“This is quickly getting away from the whole reason we brought her out here,” Wyatt says, ever the voice of reason, even as he’s smiling. He gently pries me from Harlan’s lap. Harlan’s fingers linger at my hips before he lets go.
“There’s a reason?” I ask, dazed, my head still full of fantasies and pheromones.
Wyatt pulls out a chair, guiding me down before setting a breakfast that looks five-star. Eggs Benedict, bacon, French toast, and a cinnamon roll the size of my head cover the table. But I can’t eat. My hands tremble as I pick up my fork.
“This looks delicious,” I manage.
“We were hoping to talk to you over breakfast,” Harlan says.
My stomach knots. “Okay,” I whisper.
He glances around the table. “We’ve been talking, Starlight. We know this all started in an unconventional way but it’s become clear, very quickly, that you’re made for us.”
I go still. My heart feels too big for my chest.
“Even before your scent, I knew,” Harlan says, voice softening. “That night on the patio at your parents’ party, everything about you, the way you carried yourself, the way you endured—I wanted you. My biggest regret is not finding a way to get you out of there then.”
Kai leans forward, eyes bright. “I’ve known since we were kids. Our parents always ran in the same circles, and all I ever looked forward to was seeing you again. You’ve always been my world, Rosie.”
Evander grins, soft and shining. “Pretty sure I fell in love when you got the guys to wear those matching pajamas. You’re my friend, Candy, and so much more.”
Wyatt chuckles. “Definitely when you tried every food I gave you. I love that light in your eyes.”
“Nah,” Logan says, blue eyes steady as ice over deep water. “She was always ours. Before we even met.”
And goddamn if it doesn’t feel that way. Like fate itself wove our souls together long before we knew it.
“Which is why,” Harlan continues, taking both my hands and pressing my knuckles to his lips, “we wanted to talk to you about bonding.”
The whole room stills. My pulse roars in my ears.
“You—you want to bond?” I whisper.
Kai pulls my chair gently so I’m facing them all. Every alpha moves closer, their presence wrapping around me like warmth itself.
“Yes, Rosie. Of course we do,” Kai says. “You’re our mate—our everything. The question is, what do you want?”
My voice trembles. “I want you.”
Every alpha exhales at once, like they’ve been holding their breath for days.
“Then when your heat comes, whenever that is, we’ll bond,” Harlan promises. “We just needed to know, in case it happens sooner than later like the doctor suggested.”
My insides twist tight. “What if it doesn’t come? What if the drugs broke it? I’ve never had a full heat before and it seems impossible.”
“Nothing about you is broken, Jingles,” Logan says firmly. His words strike straight to my chest. “If your heat doesn’t come, it doesn’t come. We’ll wait. We’ll see. It’s safer during your heat, sure. But if not, we can make a deadline and bond anyway.”
A thread of doubt tugs at me. If they truly wanted to bond, why wait? Why not now?
Kai sees it immediately. Of course he does. “Christmas,” he says, quiet but sure.
My eyes fly to him.
“If you don’t go into heat by Christmas,” he says, voice steady and warm, “we’ll bond then. I swear it.”
Christmas is in less than two weeks. The room blurs as tears spill freely, joy burning through my chest like sunlight after a long winter.
Purring fills the air—low, melodic, surrounding me.
And for the first time in my life, I feel completely, irrevocably chosen.