Chapter 33 Faye
THIRTY-THREE
Faye
When I look at my phone the next morning, I see that the Stella group chat has blown up.
DELILAH
Where did Cole take you?
KADY
Do I need to send Margie over? Has Cole kidnapped you?!
SABS
On a rating of 1-10, how good was the sex?
ME
No, no, no, and 11. I’ll see you all later!
“Only eleven?” Cole reads over my shoulder. “I can do better.”
After noticing the time, I groan and roll out from under his tree-trunk of an arm. “As much as I’d love to stay in bed all day, I better get ready, or I’ll be late for class.”
“I’ve got everything you need in my bathroom, and I’ll leave clean clothes out for when you’re done.” He stretches, his golden skin a dangerous temptation I force myself to look away from. “I’ll send Frank to grab your books from Stella House, then he can drop you off at the greenhouse?”
“Are you sure?” I nibble on the inside of my cheek. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“When are you going to learn that we want to spoil you, little omega?” Cole smiles. “Just let us.”
I hop out of bed, momentarily panicking when I realize that I’m completely naked. When I spin around, I’m greeted by a massive, cock-shaped tent under the sheets.
He notices me staring and smirks. “Are you sure you don’t want to come back to bed?”
“I’ve already missed too much class already.” I have to summon all my willpower to march to the bathroom for a cold shower.
Once done and after running a hand through my wet hair, I return to find Cole gone, the bed freshly made—obviously!—and three new outfits carefully laid out, all in my size.
I gravitate to the floral dress similar in design to others I own, but seeing the price tag makes my eyes water.
It cost more than my entire wardrobe combined.
Underneath that is a comfy hoodie with a printed unicorn that resembles Laz’s secret tattoo—which I’m sure is no accident—and a relaxed-fit, soft denim jumpsuit with a white top.
I opt for the jumpsuit because of the deep pockets; they’ll come in super handy when stashing herbs.
As soon as I leave Cole’s room, the smell of pancakes wafts up the stairs. I follow the sound of laughter and chatting down to the kitchen.
“Morning, beautiful!” Laz smiles as soon as he sees me. He’s mid-flip, his momentary attention lapse making him miss the pancake entirely, causing the gloopy mixture to hit the floor with a splat.
Cole glowers at him from a high stool at the breakfast bar, jumping off to grab a mop.
“We didn’t know what you liked to eat for breakfast.” Ren pulls out a chair for me. He’s surrounded by a stack of books and his staple black coffee. “So we made a bit of everything.”
“Honestly, I’m normally a grab and go kinda girl,” I reply. “Most of the time, I don’t really have the time to eat.”
“Well, that’s gotta change. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Cole gestures to the mini feast. “Help yourself.”
There are piles of bacon, sausage, pancakes, and waffles next to bowls full of fresh fruit. How early did they have to get up to prepare it?
To their delight, I load up my plate, helping myself to a stack of blueberry pancakes, a chocolate sauce drizzled waffle, and strawberries. I’ll probably eat my entire daily calories in one sitting, but I don’t care.
“You need to get your energy back after last night,” Laz reminds me with a cheeky wink. He sits down opposite me where he makes a smiley face out of fruit on top of his pancake. “The house smells so good.”
My cheeks flush while Cole grins proudly.
I freeze mid chew when Damon stomps into the room, wearing only gray slacks.
Realizing that I’m gawping at his tattoos and muscles, I clamp my thighs shut before I perfume.
I’m looking at him like a wild animal looks at a fresh kill, but he doesn’t even look in my direction.
He’s too focused on shaking his protein drink like he’s trying to throttle someone.
“I’m going to the gym,” he grunts then storms out. “See you later.”
“I thought I’d walk you to class this morning,” Ren says. “I already got your books from Frank and told him we’d walk. I need to collect something from the greenhouse for my next assignment anyway.”
“Thanks.” I smile at him. “We’d better get going if I’m going to make it on time.” I scrunch my nose. “I’m not exactly his favorite pupil.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” Laz winks at me. “You’d be my favorite pupil.”
“Try telling him that. He’s not exactly a fan of omegas.”
“What do you mean?” Cole’s eyebrows furrow in concern, his legal brain probably kicking into gear. “Has he said something discriminatory, because if he has—”
“It’s nothing,” I cut him off before he gets too worked up. “Forget I said anything.” His frown deepens as I get up. “Come on, Ren. We’d better go.”
Laz jumps up to kiss me on the cheek before we leave. “Have a good day, honeybee!”
I stroke the big guy’s shoulder as I pass. “Thanks for last night, Cole.”
“Anytime, little omega.” He stands, a dazzling smile stretching his mouth. He holds my face in his hands and kisses me hard, taking my breath away.
“Ugh,” Laz groans. “Now I need to go have a cold shower with my Rosie Palm and her five sisters.”
Ren slips his fingers through mine. “Let’s go before you make Laz combust.”
It’s a glorious day, the warm sun beating down on us. Alphas leaving their pack houses stare as we walk down the street, some even wolf-whistle.
“I can’t wait until we can get out of the pack house.” Ren tugs me closer. “I don’t like you being this close to so many alphas.”
“It’s okay.” I squeeze his hand. “I know I’m safe when I’m with you.”
“That you are.” He stands a little taller. “So did you enjoy your first official date with Cole?”
“I loved it,” I gush. “He made me food, and we watched a cute movie.”
Ren laughs. “I can’t believe you got him to watch a chick flick.
He usually only watches documentaries and films that are based on true stories because he doesn’t want to rot his brain.
Though I’m sure he loved it because it was with you.
” He pauses, peering down at me. “How are you feeling about everything?”
“Good.” Ren makes it easy to say what’s on my mind, so I don’t hold back. “But I still feel bad about what happened with Damon. I’d like to talk to him about it, but he won’t even stay in the same room as me for more than a few minutes.”
“It’s not your fault. You reacted exactly how Damon wanted you to. He pushes people he cares about away.”
“It doesn’t make it any easier, though.” A puff of air escapes me. “I thought when omegas courted a pack, everyone was supposed to be on the same page. When I was with Cole…” I can’t believe I’m about to admit this. “I really wanted to … bite him. I had to stop myself. Is that bad?”
“Of course it’s not, baby.” Ren is beaming. “He’s your alpha. We’re scent matches. It’s not just hard on you, it’s hard for all of us.”
“Have you felt it too?” I ask. “The urge to bite?”
“I’ve felt it from the moment we first met.” Ren chuckles. “A desperate need to claim you and mark you as mine. When we’re intimate, the urge gets even stronger. It’s the same for all the guys.”
“Do your teeth ache too?”
“Hell yeah!” Ren laughs. “We had to buy Teeth-Numb gel from Sunshine Pharmacy. That’s helped with the pain.”
“You guys are in pain?!” Guilt spiderwebs through me. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“Hey, don’t feel bad.” Ren stops in his tracks to stroke my cheek. “The pain is nothing compared to what you have to go through during your heats. We don’t mind at all.”
“I didn’t realize that Teeth-Numb gel was even a thing,” I mumble.
“Admittedly, few alphas use it.” Ren lifts a shoulder. “Most don’t delay bonding once they’ve found their match, but we’re all happy to go at your pace. We’ll bond when you’re ready, and only if you want to.”
The more time I spend with them, the stronger our connection gets, heightening the urge to bond.
We approach the greenhouse, spotting Amora waiting outside. She’s standing next to an extremely attractive alpha woman with thick hair and rich russet brown skin. Amora waves as soon as she sees me.
“See?” Amora tells the woman as we approach. “I told you I made an omega friend.”
“You must be Faye.” The alpha holds out her hand. “I’m Carmen, and it sounds like you both need a friend in this class.” She screws up her nose in disapproval. “Especially after how Grub behaved during your last class.”
Concern practically radiates from Ren as his grip on me tightens, but I choose to ignore it.
“This is Ren,” I introduce him, changing the subject and hoping Ren doesn’t ask any questions.
“Ren Silverwood.” Carmen looks him up and down as they shake hands. “I know who you are. The Silverwood Pack courting an omega is the talk of SVU.” She sniffs the air then winks. “You smell happy.”
“Carmen!” Amora bats at her arm. “Sorry, she doesn’t know when to shut up. You know it’s rude to scent people.” She shakes her head yet smiles fondly. “I can’t take her anywhere.”
“You love me.” Carmen kisses Amora’s cheek. “Faye, are you and the Stella girls still coming to our party later? I keep telling Amora that it’ll be good for her to have more omegas around after what happened with the girls in Persephone House last year.”
Amora shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other. Something bad must have happened in her first year, but it’s obviously something she’s uncomfortable talking about.
“We’ll be there.” I nod. With everything else going on, I’m ashamed to admit I completely forgot about Amora’s bonding anniversary party. But I have nothing else planned, and seeing Amora’s hopeful smile cinches the deal. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“See?” Carmen squeezes Amora’s arm. “It’ll be fun! You’ll see, mi amor.”
Amora’s lips quirk at the corners, still a little hesitant, as Carmen kisses her, almost melting into her. They look so content in each other’s company. Whatever happened to Amora last year, I’m glad she had someone like Carmen to help her through it.