Chapter 48 Faye
Ren checks my temperature for the fourteenth time. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
I’m officially out of heat. After three full days where I craved nothing but knots and the closeness of my alphas, my brain is functioning normally again.
Nothing could have prepared me for the incredible whirlwind of going through a heat as a bonded pack.
The guys were amazing. They kept me fed, clean—no small feat when you’re literally layered in slick all day—and fully satisfied.
The days were a blur of knots, slick, and scents, but they got me through it, and the experience brought us closer together.
“I’ll be fine.” I wave away Ren’s concern, busy surveying the table when the doorbell rings. “Do we have everything ready?”
The breakfast feast in front of us includes everything from fruit to sausages to waffles as well as freshly squeezed juice.
“We’re all set,” Cole replies from the stove where he’s cooking a fresh batch of pancakes. As well as spaghetti Bolognese, he’s pretty good at making breakfast foods too.
“Stellas incoming!” Laz sings, skipping to answer the door.
“I’m okay.” I kiss Ren’s cheek, sensing his concern. He worries too much. “I promise, alpha.”
I head toward the door, an excited shriek meeting my ears as Laz welcomes the Stella girls. It’s the first time they’ve been to see the house since we’ve completed our renovations, so I can’t wait to show them around.
“Holy shit,” Sabs gasps, looking around. Dropping her gym bag down, she’s dressed in tiny shorts and a tank top, ready to head to volleyball practice. “This is pack goals right here.”
Kady’s gaze sweeps over the entranceway as she smiles in approval. She’s scraped her hair into a bun and wears a blazer with a Valley Voice lanyard over it. “This is an incredible space.”
“It’s amazing!” Delilah is beaming, her floaty dress dusted in flour, presumably from baking whatever goodies she’s carrying. “I can’t believe you’ve made it so homey already.”
“You have Laz to thank for that,” I say. “He really has an eye for decorating.”
“My older brother isn’t completely useless after all, then,” Sabs jokes, nudging him in the ribs.
He grins cheekily. “I think you’ll find I’ve been extremely useful these past few days. My knot has—”
“I don’t want to hear anything about your heat antics, dude!” Sabs interrupts then turns to me. “How are you feeling now, Faye?”
“Much better. The guys took good care of me.”
“You’re rocking a post-heat glow,” Delilah sighs. “The first heat after bonding is supposed to be on another level.”
Damon leans in the doorway, smirking knowingly. “Oh, it was.”
My cheeks burn. It’s too early in the morning to be talking about our sex life with my friends.
“Are you hungry?” Ren calls from the kitchen, saving me.
“Starving,” Sabs declares, kicking off her sneakers and marching through to make herself at home.
“I made some apple and cinnamon muffins,” Delilah dips her chin to the tray she’s holding. “I’ll set them down.”
“Before I forget, Faye.” Kady hands me a bag. “I thought we already sent over all of your belongings, but I found this underneath your bed.”
My blush deepens. I grab it, trying to hide its contents from the watchful view of my brooding alpha. Unfortunately, nothing gets past Damon.
“What is it?” He swipes it from my grasp and peers inside to see the hoodie he gave me when we first met. I feel his shock through our bond when he realizes, then he grins widely. “Kady found it under your bed, huh?”
I smile meekly. “It might have helped me sleep, okay?”
His love permeates our bond as he bends down to kiss me then whispers huskily, “Now that you have the real thing, you don’t need to sleep with my clothes again.”
I clear my throat, thinking of carrion flower sap to stop me from soaking my panties in front of the girls.
“You two are just the cutest,” Delilah gushes.
“What about me?” Laz puts his hand to his chest like he’s wounded. “I thought I was the cutest alpha?”
“That has to be Ren,” Kady intervenes. “No offense, Laz.”
Laz pouts. “I’m highly offended.”
“Pancakes are getting cold,” Cole calls out.
“Nice apron, Cole,” Delilah teases as we walk into the kitchen.
He looks so cute wearing his red and white polka-dot apron, but he can’t tell whether she’s teasing. “I didn’t want to ruin my shirt,” he mumbles. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Our huge table is large enough to sit ten, yet it’s full of food. Luckily, our patio doors open onto our private beach, where we’ve laid out blankets and deck chairs to sit on.
“You know, I’m going to come here all the time, forever, don’t you?” Sabs hums as she piles her plate and plops herself down on a deck chair, scrunching her toes in the sand. “This makes Stella House look like a dump.”
“Hey!” I object. “Stella House is amazing.”
“It’s not the same without you, Faye.” Delilah’s lower lip juts out as she and Kady sit down. “Although it still has your scent, so we think of you.”
“You’re still obliged to come to Stella girls’ nights, of course.” Kady nails me with an intense gaze. “And you’ll always have a place to stay if you need a break from these alphas.”
Damon’s fork clatters onto his plate, his anxiety rising. I reach out to pat his arm in reassurance, so he knows I’m not going anywhere. Although it’d be amazing to spend some quality, alone time with the girls—which I do plan on doing—I don’t intend on being apart from my alphas overnight.
After everyone has loaded their plates and is settled on the beach, we enjoy the gorgeous view of the lake, and I cozy up between Cole and Damon on a blanket.
“Everything okay?” I ask when Cole’s phone buzzes, making him frown.
“It’s Frank.” He pauses to continue reading. “He requested a vacation.”
The other guys and Sabs gasp in shock.
“Am I missing something?” I question, utterly confused. “Surely, he deserves a vacation. Right?”
“Frank never goes anywhere.” Cole scratches his neck. “This is the first vacation he’s requested in … well, ever.”
“We literally have to force him to take the time off,” Laz explains. “Last time, Cole booked him a two-week golf retreat and basically had to guilt trip him to get him to go. He only went after he learned it was nonrefundable.”
“Did he say where he’s going?” Ren asks.
Cole shakes his head.
“Maybe he feels better leaving now that you’ve found your omega?” Delilah suggests.
“Perhaps,” Cole murmurs, unconvinced. “But it’s really out of character.”
“Frank’s vacation is not quite as exciting as the latest SVU gossip. Did you hear about the most recent pack drama this week?” Sabs changes the subject. “Apparently, one pack was so desperate to find an omega that they tried to rig speed scenting.”
“It’s a good thing I didn’t sign up for the campus’s omega matching service this year, then.” Delilah screws up her face in disgust. “I was considering it.”
I shuffle closer to Delilah, under the ruse of offering her strawberries, while everyone speculates about which pack it could be.
“Any alpha would be lucky to have you, Del.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t meet her eyes. “Not every alpha.”
“Any worthy alpha,” I correct her, sensing her mind wandering to the singer who treated her like trash last year. “Anyone who doesn’t see how amazing you are isn’t worth your time.”
“Thank you, Faye.” She sniffles. “Anyway, enough about my failure of a love life!” She shakes her head to quash her thoughts. “How are you settling into your new beach palace?”
“It’s starting to feel more like home.”
“How is your gram doing?” she asks.
“She’s good. Very happy for us.” I grin at the memory of telling her that I’d finally bonded with every alpha in the pack.
Her reaction was incredible. She even sent us a congratulations card, signed by many of our regular customers.
“She’s already pestering us to visit, so the guys can help her renovate the shop. ”
Although now that I’m thinking about it, I haven’t heard from her in a few days, which is unlike her. Hopefully, she’s okay and Alice isn’t driving her too mad.
“Are my ears burning?” Cole drops down next to me.
“Faye’s just telling me how you’re all going to help fix up Blooming Brew,” Delilah responds.
I can’t wait to take them to Clover Hollow to show them where I grew up.
So much has changed since I came to SVU.
I was a small-town girl who was afraid of alphas and worried about whether I’d fit in.
Now I have a new family. I have the Stellas—my scent sorority sisters and best friends for life—and my pack.
The four men who won my heart and showed me what true alphas are.
It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I wouldn’t change it.
I take a moment to look around. Laz and Sabs bicker with Kady acting as a referee, Ren flicks through his notes for a class, Damon fills up his plate for a fourth helping while Delilah and Cole swap tips on the best way to clean a burned saucepan.
Suddenly, Damon’s fists ball and his nostrils flare. When he slams his plate down, a warning ripples through me. Something’s wrong.
“What is it?” I ask him.
Cole tenses by my side. “An alpha’s here.”
“I’ll deal with them.” Damon stands, stalking off.
“Did any of you,” Ren looks at the Stellas, “invite anyone to join us?”
“Don’t look at me!” Delilah holds up her hands. “I’m an alpha-free zone, unfortunately.”
“I don’t know any alphas I’d want to see again after one night,” Sabs replies cheekily. “You know me, I’m a knot and run kinda girl.”
“Come on, Sabs.” Laz frowns. “What have I told you about those heat buddy apps? There could be psycho bite-jackers or taggers on there.”
“I don’t use the shady ones. Besides, an omega has needs, Laz!” Sabs huffs in frustration. “I shouldn’t need to tell you that after you helped Faye through her heat. Not everyone is lucky enough to have found their scent match.”
“I’m being serious, Sabs.” Laz clasps her shoulder. “You have to be safe. If you ever go to meet an alpha you’ve only spoken to online, I want to know about it.”
“Stop worrying.” Sabs waves off his concerns with an eye roll. “I can handle myself.”
“Kady?” Cole prompts.
“I’m far too busy to mess around with any alphas,” Kady scoffs. “They’re a distraction.”
“Why can’t you be more like Kady, Sabs?” Laz exhales loudly. “Focus on your studies.”
Sabs snorts. “Says the guy who almost got kicked out of SVU last year for missing so many deadlines.”
Laz gasps in horror. “How did you find out about that?”
She taps her nose. “I have my sources.”
“You didn’t tell our dads, did you?”
“If I had, you’d have known about it by now.” Sabs’s lips spread into a mischievous smile. “You better stay on my good side, big bro.”
Seconds later, Damon reappears. He’s not alone. The alpha at his side doesn’t look like a student. He’s in his forties, balding, with small, circular sunglasses and an expensive suit.
“Warren?” Kady stands up to greet him, clearly knowing each other. “What’re you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“I have a delivery from Mr. Sinclair.” He clutches an envelope like his life depends on it. “He insisted I deliver it to you by hand. Margie told me where to find you.”
“Consider it done.” Kady takes it from him. “And can you tell my father to just call me next time? He should consider reducing his paper usage.”
Warren bows his head. “As you wish, Ms. Sinclair.”
“I’ll escort you out,” Damon growls, keeping his stare laser-focused on Warren. “This way.”
“Sorry about that,” Kady mutters as Damon and Warren leave. “Typical Dad. I swear, he has people do everything for him.”
“Mine’s the same,” Cole shakes his head. “Thankfully, we’re not on speaking terms right now.” I put my hand over Cole’s. Although I still feel bad about the situation with his father, he assures me that he’s better off without him. “I’d highly recommend it, Kady.”
Sabs cranes her neck to get a better look. “What’s so important that it needed to be hand-delivered anyway?”
Kady shrugs, turning the thick envelope over in her hands before breaking the red wax seal. “Beats me.”
“Oh!” Delilah squeals as she sees the swirling text on the front of the card Kady pulls out. “A wedding invitation!”
“Another one?” Kady groans, wrinkling her nose. “Dad’s already on his fourth wife, and they keep getting younger. I swear, the next one will be our age. My closet is already bursting with bridesmaid dresses…”
Her voice trails off as she reads it.
“Kady?” Delilah asks. “What is it?”
“It’s…” Kady’s face turns ghostly white. “It’s an invitation to my wedding.”
Thank you SO much for reading!