Chapter 19 Faye
NINETEEN
Faye
My lips still tingle from Laz’s kiss. I’m glad he had the sense to stop us, because I don’t know what would have happened otherwise.
Despite never having been with an alpha before—or any man, for that matter—my natural instincts seemed to take over, instantaneously obliterating any nerves or reservations I had.
It was as if an uncontrollable urge took over my body, drawing us together like magnets.
Yet another key indicator of a scent match.
Some people even call scent matches, “fated mates” because they’re attracted to each other on a purely biological level.
Like every cell in their bodies has been specifically designed for the other.
Last night, I stayed up reading an article titled, “How to Know You’ve Found Your Scent Match”. The points included:
Sign One - An inexplicable draw to an alpha or pack of alphas that you feel deep in your core, as though an invisible force is moving your legs closer to them.
Sign Two - Unexpected heat spikes or changes to your heat cycle. When unbonded omegas encounter a scent match, their cycle may get thrown off completely. Even with medication, these are often hard to curb or control without relief from an alpha.
Sign Three - The thought of living without your scent match is physically painful.
“We can stop for groceries on our way back so you can pick whatever pizza toppings you’d like,” Laz’s voice pulls me out of my reverie.
Hanging out with him has been so much fun. Being around him is effortless, and it’s been great to get to know him more. Especially seeing how he lights up when he talks about his family.
“Sounds good,” I say. “I’ll let the Stellas know I’ll be home late.”
I shoot a quick text to the group chat:
ME
Going for pizza at the Silverwood Pack house.
KADY
We won’t wait up
When I giggle at her message, Laz peers over my shoulder to read it then grabs the phone from me. He snaps a quick picture of him landing a sloppy kiss on my cheek before sending it back.
SABS
I need to wash my eyes. Ugh!! Tell him this is an OMEGA ONLY CHAT!!!
DELILAH
Faye can keep him in line… Right?
KADY
One sniff of her perfume and I bet he’ll do anything she says.
ME
Stop! He’s reading over my shoulder! I’ll see you guys later.
“So…” Laz flashes me a dazzling smile. “I guess the Stellas aren’t too mad that we’re stealing you for the night. Trust me, the pizzas will be so worth it.”
I learned my lesson after offering to pay at the Tea House, so when we’re picking up groceries, I don’t argue when Laz piles anything I show remote interest in into the shopping cart and pays without question.
We head on back to the pack house. As soon as we’re in the alpha quad, he interlocks his fingers with mine.
“I hope you don’t mind.” He lifts our joined hands. “But I need any alphas who see us to know you’re taken. Some of the newer alphas still haven’t learned how things work at SVU yet. Nor have some of the older ones, for that matter.”
“Do you like it here?” I wave my free hand at our surroundings. “At SVU?”
“I love living with the guys. I used to see them all the time at home, but having our own place is so much better.”
“How did you all meet?”
“Well, Damon and I met at school. He basically lived with my family throughout high school.” Laz’s expression darkens.
“He had a rough time as a kid. It’s his story to tell, but know that he’s not a total dick all the time.
As soon as we found out we were both alphas, we instantly knew we were a pack.
But it’s unusual to have a pack of just two, so I went on a pack finding experience where I met Cole. ”
“A pack finding experience?”
“I know it sounds crazy.” Laz snickers. “Basically, our parents sent us to a summer camp for rich alphas looking for a pack.”
At sixteen, everyone in the country takes a government mandated blood test to confirm their designation. Most people already have a good idea of their traits—early heat, in an omega’s case—or by their family history. By eighteen, most designations are completely identifiable.
“For an alpha, having a pack brings a lot of security,” Laz continues.
“The camp was pretty terrible, but it bonded me and Cole. Neither of us really wanted to be there, yet we formed an alliance against some of the other assholes. It turned out he lived in the next town over, so we met up after camp, he met Damon, then bam!”
“And Ren?”
“He and Cole were already tight. Ren was a late bloomer. His results came back inconclusive at sixteen, yet when he retested again at eighteen, he became the final member of our pack. It’s a good thing we have him too.
Cole’s our leader, but he and Damon both give off serious alpha energy.
As you’ve probably figured out already, I’m the pack clown, and Ren levels everyone out with his calmness. He’s the glue that holds us together.”
“So what were you doing before coming to SVU?” I ask.
“Oh, you know.” Laz shrugs as we head up the steps to the pack house.
“Having fun like most young alphas. Cole worked for his dad, I helped my parents around the house, Ren did his bachelors at another college, and Damon did odd jobs. We all really wanted to come here together when we were old enough.”
Because of the high drop-out rate for omegas and alphas, SVU’s minimum admission age is twenty-one. They reason that, with extra time to consider studying, students are more likely to be committed, though that’s not always the case.
Ren throws the door open. “Hey, baby,” he croons, kissing me on the cheek as soon as I enter.
“How was your seminar?” I ask, trying to slow my heart rate which kicked up at the kiss and endearment.
“Not as fun as our date.” He shakes his head. “But a few students did put forward a compelling argument about why Mr. Darcy is their ideal man.”
“Told you,” I giggle. “It’s a romance!”
Over Laz’s shoulder, I spot Cole quickly sweeping the surfaces with a feather duster before stashing it away.
“Hi, Faye.” Looking as amazing as ever, Cole strolls over to greet me, blue jeans hugging his muscular legs. “It’s good to see you.”
Now that I’m not in a heat-induced mania, I can properly take in my surroundings. Their place is very modern and spotless. I would never have guessed it’s a bachelor pad.
Cole catches me looking around. “Would you like a tour?”
“Sure.” I nod. “It’s so clean for four alphas.”
Cole’s chest puffs out with pride. “That’s because Cole’s a clean freak,” Laz teases. “Like all the pack houses, we have a housekeeper, but Cole insists on doing most of it himself. If you ask nicely, maybe he’ll wear his French maid costume for you.”
Cole glowers at him.
“You’ve already seen the living room, but you can see it again.” Ren steps in to diffuse the situation, leading me to the right.
The same comfy sofas are here, but without a thousand cushions and blankets, it looks totally different. And it smells amazing—Ren’s calming scent mixed with Laz’s spice, Cole’s smoky reassurance, and the underlying tone of Damon’s protective streak.
“We have a projector that pulls down here.” Laz waves his freckled arm at the blank wall. “Where we game and watch movies.”
There’s also a popcorn machine, a pinball machine, and a foosball table.
“We’ll show you the kitchen.” I follow behind Ren.
“There’s a bathroom just down there, and all our bedrooms are upstairs,” Cole tells me as we return to the hall.
Beneath us, heavy metal music blares, making my feet vibrate.
“That’s just Damon.” Laz answers my unspoken question. “He works out in the basement. As you can hear, he likes all the hard stuff. Angsty shit. Where’s the catchy beat I can dance to?”
“There’s more to music than dancing.” Ren rolls his eyes. “Just because you have the emotional depth of a teaspoon doesn’t mean everyone else does.”
“Hey!” Laz scoffs. “I just like music that I can actually understand the words to.”
“It’s a wonder that you understand anything at all.” Clearly, Cole is still annoyed, presumably for his earlier jabs about his cleaning.
The kitchen doubles as a dining room with sleek white countertops and black cupboards. One wall has a giant sliding glass door that leads into their yard.
“I’ll fire up the pizza oven,” Ren chirps, heading outside.
My jaw drops as I see what stretches across the left wall. “You have four fridges?”
They aren’t standard size either. They’re the biggest refrigerators I’ve ever seen.
“We eat a lot,” Cole replies matter-of-factly. “But one is just for drinks, and Damon gets his own.”
“Because he gets so hangry,” Laz chips in. “You don’t want to be standing in the way of him and his snacks if you want to keep your gonads.” He shudders then rolls his sleeves up. “I’ll start on the dough.”
“I can help?” I offer.
“Go sit outside in the sun, honeybee,” Laz’s lips quirk. “Your hands have already worked hard enough.”
Cole splutters, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
“Gaming!” Laz explains. “We were just at the arcade. Get your head out of the gutter, perv!”
Cole opens the drinks fridge, blasting us with cool air. “What would you like, Faye? You can help yourself to anything when you’re here.”
They have almost everything—still and sparkling water, tons of different fruit juices, practically every soda as well as a row of energy drinks and premade protein shakes.
“Just a lemonade,” I reply. “If you have any?”
“Ice?”
“Please.”
I feel like I’m being waited on in a restaurant. Is it normal for alphas to be this attentive?
“I’m not a great cook.” Laz sprinkles flour onto the counter. “But pizza dough is one of the few things I kick ass at.”
Cole’s corded shoulders visibly tense. “Could you at least try not to not get flour everywhere?”
Laz scoops up a pinch of flour then blows a kiss in my direction. “I’ll try.”
Cole grits his teeth. Before he loses his shit, I smile up at him. “Can I see your room, Cole?”
“My room?”