43. Sabs
FORTY-THREE
Sabs
The day after the volleyball game…
The weeks have sped by since I bonded with the Strike Pack. All of our bonding paperwork has been finalized, so in the eyes of the law, we’re officially one big happy family… And we are. Well, unless Adler and Drax are bickering about something, but even that’s kinda adorable.
“Aw, look!” I show Adler a text from Izzie, wishing me congratulations for winning my volleyball game. “Izzie sends her love.”
Since Izzie got in touch recently to ask me more questions about SVU, we’ve been in contact a lot, and she’s already planning her next visit here.
“I swear, you talk to her more than I do.” Adler rolls his eyes. “When I last called her, she wouldn’t shut up about how excited she is for this summer.”
On my parents’ insistence, we’re all going to spend the summer in Saltwave Bay. They found an amazing cottage for us to stay in close to the beach, and Izzie will be joining us for a few weeks. Days of sun, surf, and sexy alphas… Could life get any better?
“So am I.” I smile. “It’s going to be so much fun. Maybe we’ll have another volleyball re-match...?”
“After seeing you play yesterday, I don’t think any of us wants to go up against you again.” Adler wraps his arms around my waist from behind as we look out across the lake. “You were amazing out there, firecracker.”
“It helped that I had a fairy cheering me on,” I tease. “You make a cute Tinker Bell.”
He looked awesome with wings and a matching wand that he waved every time we scored—even if it was taken him off by the referee.
“I’m never making a bet with you again,” he groans. “But the look of determination on your face when you played was sexy as hell.” His lips nip my ear playfully, sending tingles down my spine as I sense his arousal through our bond. “Maybe we could head off somewhere and—”
I spin to face him before he can say anything to tempt me away from the party. “The party just started.” I drape my arms around his neck. “I’m the team captain. I can’t go sneaking off this early.”
We’re at a party on Bonded Beach to celebrate my volleyball team winning the state championship.
Music is playing, torches are lit, drinks are being served from a tiki bar, and the smell of delicious burgers wafts from a barbecue.
Even Vi has left her sCream Queen truck, pulling in on an ice cream tricycle to serve ice pops.
“Who needs a party when we have your nest?” Adler murmurs huskily.
He has a point. We’ve all spent a lot of time in the nest lately. Honestly, I don’t know how bonded omegas get much sleep. I mean, why rest when you have four hot alphas who are basically permanently hard and willing to give you multiple orgasms a day? It’s impossible to resist.
“We’re staying.” I giggle at his eagerness. “At least for a little longer.”
“Fine.” Adler adjusts his pants as he looks at a group that has started dancing nearby. “Remember what happened last time we were at a beach party here together?”
I lift my hand to my neck, grazing my bond mark as it tingles at the memory. “How could I forget?”
That night was the start of everything. An accident that ended up being the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“Where have you two been hiding?” Luca comes over to join us, looking handsome in his khaki shorts and a shirt that’s completely unbuttoned to show off his tanned, toned torso, making me second-guess my decision to stay. “I thought maybe you snuck away behind the rocks.”
“I wish.” Adler blatantly checks out my ass. “Have you seen how good she looks in this outfit? She’s trying to kill us!”
I playfully bump him with my hip. “You can have fun taking it off later.”
He waggles his eyebrows. “Oh, I will.”
“You do look hot.” Luca kisses me on the cheek. “As usual.”
“Careful, with all these compliments, I might get a big head like Adler,” I joke, then look around for my giant alpha. “Where’s Drax? I thought you were together.”
The last time I saw him, he and Luca were waiting in line while chatting to Corbin and Nia.
While catching up with her last week, she told me that they’ve decided to go exclusive.
They make the sweetest couple, Nia seeming to be just as smitten as he is now.
You’d never guess he used to be terrified to speak to her.
“Carmen bullied him into joining in limbo.” Luca chuckles. “He didn’t know how to say no, and I managed to sneak away just in time.”
“Drax? Doing limbo? He can barely touch his toes.” Adler snorts, eyes lighting up as he grabs his cell phone from his pocket. “Orin has gotta see this too.”
Our pack leader is busy working tonight, but he made a mysterious promise about planning something special another time.
Luca laughs as Adler charges off, ready to film Drax’s ordeal, which I’m sure we won’t hear the end of.
Despite their rocky start, Drax now fits in well with the rest of the pack.
He and Adler have gotten closer—I guess seeing each other naked and sharing an omega helped—and they now work out together daily.
I doubt they’ll ever lose their competitive streak, though, always trying to out-do each other.
Luckily, instead of being toxic, it only pushes them both to be better.
Drax tells me that Adler needs to be surrounded by more people who don’t kiss his ass, which is probably true, and I secretly think Adler likes that Drax isn’t afraid to challenge him.
“Having fun?” Luca drapes his arm around my shoulder. I happily sag against him as I watch my teammates having a good time.
I’m so proud of them. Although this semester has been life-changing for me, I didn’t drop the ball, maintaining my responsibilities and duties. I’m glad that I was able to help bring the team to victory.
I flash Luca a big smile, but my mouth feels weirdly stretched. “I am.”
“But?” he prompts, immediately seeing straight through my act.
Damn our bond that gives him insight into everything I feel. Luca was already really perceptive to subtle changes in my mood, more so than the others, which is both a blessing and a curse.
I sigh. “It’s just…”
It’s hard to articulate how I’m feeling. As happy as I am to have won the championship and be surrounded by my incredible team, for once, my top priority isn’t being first in line to down a row of shots.
Luca pulls me closer. “You’re thinking about the Stellas, aren’t you?”
“I understand why the girls couldn’t come tonight,.” I sigh. “It just doesn’t feel the same without them here, and…”
Sadly, none of them could make the party.
Kady had a TVV crisis to deal with, Faye is harvesting a rare plant that only comes out for one night a year, and Delilah’s traveling out of town with Jagger for an important meeting with music producers—although she still somehow had time to make enough snacks to feed everyone here.
“Talk to me, Sabs,” Luca urges. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“I love living with you guys—honestly, I do—it’s the best.” I peer down at my chipped nail polish. “But I kinda miss living with my girls too. Moving out happened so fast that I didn’t really have time to say goodbye to that chapter of my life.”
“You know they can stay with us anytime,” Luca tells me. “Our home is their home.”
While I know that, it’s not the same as waking to find Delilah stress baking at 3am or looking for a missing sock only to find that Larry has stolen it again or being woken up by Kady’s snoring to find that we’ve all fallen asleep on the sofa with Faye drooling on my shoulder.
“I know.” Wistful, I look across the sand, remembering how I felt when I first arrived at Scent Valley University.
Obviously I loved the campus and was super excited for my courses, but I never expected to find a pack or to create a whole new family with the Stellas. SVU has given me everything I’ve ever wanted.
“And they’ll all be joining us in Saltwave Bay over the summer,” Luca reminds me.
“Kady’s already been making an itinerary of stuff for us to do together.” I laugh. “I swear, I haven’t even heard of half the things on her list.”
The Valen Pack will be staying in Rose Harbor, a small town a short drive away from Saltwave Bay. The Silverwood Pack already has their own place close to our rental, and Delilah promised to reserve a place on the beach. Luckily Jagger has enough money that they can travel anywhere on a dime.
“I can’t wait.” Luca’s dual-hued eyes shine with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to try surfing.”
“Forest will be visiting, so he can teach you. You’re going to get along so well.
” I perk up at the thought. Although my brothers know about my pack, they haven’t officially met yet.
Now that my parents approve of them, their first meeting shouldn’t be quite as explosive as when Laz confronted them at Adler’s practice. “It’s going to be one crazy summer.”
Sand kicks up as Adler and Drax make their way toward us. Drax—a little red in the face—is glaring at Adler, who is wiping his eyes while laughing.
“You guys have to see this!” Adler holds up his phone.
Drax snatches it from his fingers and hurls it a few feet away.
“Hey!” Adler scrambles after it.
“If you show anyone that video, it’ll end up in the lake.” Drax’s nostrils flex, obviously not finding Adler funny. “Or I’ll post that video of you singing to the Spice Girls into your protein shaker for everyone to see.”
Adler’s eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” Drax crosses his inked arms over his barrel chest.
I roll my eyes. “Come on, you two. This is supposed to be a party!” I squeeze Luca’s arm in silent thanks before stepping from his embrace.
I’m so grateful to have him in my life; he’s always there when I need him.
“Let’s dance.” I take Drax’s hand, who shoots Adler a shit-eating grin at being the chosen one, as I pull him into the throng of dancers close to a fire pit.
“If I remember correctly, you owe me one.”
Drax sets his hands on my waist, the two of us swaying together as a slower song comes on.