Chapter 7
Seven
Jarek
"Remember the first time we laid eyes on Vivie?" I murmur between sips of my beer. "Eight years ago, Kade."
Kade looks over his shoulder to see what has me so enthralled. By his soft intake of breath, I know he's imagining the exact moment we found our scent match too.
Much like she was then, Vivie's blushing at Silas and hitting his arm while she laughs. The setting sun creates a fiery halo around her loose auburn hair, and she's snuggled in a blanket.
"Yeah. I can see why you haven't been helping with dinner now."
Rolling my eyes, I pry my attention away from my two lovebirds on the other side of our large patio to check on my half of the grill. "They look fine," I note, mouth watering for the perfectly grilled burgers.
Kade rumbles and points his spatula at me. "That's because I flipped them two minutes ago, asshole."
"Oh..." A laugh tumbles from my lips and I immediately feel my beta and omega's eyes on me. Standing up tall, I beg Kade, "Quick, kiss me. And make it sexy."
Exasperation flits across his face as the grill sizzles beneath him. Just when I think he's going to tell me to fuck off, he grabs the front of my shirt. With a spatula in one hand and a scary grin on his lips, Kade shoves me against the wooden pillar of our pergola.
I don't have time to take a surprised inhale before his mouth is on mine. He kisses like he fucks—a battle for dominance. Not because he needs to prove he's my pack alpha, but because it transfers some of our instinctual feral rut energy into something acceptable and healthy.
No matter how old we get, I'll still give my alpha the fight he wants while knowing he firmly has me by the throat. It settles our inner angst to push each other. I also believe it soothes us to reestablish pack hierarchy regularly.
Unfortunately, the scent of Vivian's perfume is pulled away by a breeze, but when Kade's hard cock rubs against mine, I melt. Tilting my head and relaxing my jaw, I allow him to stake his claim not only on his title as pack lead but as my lover. My alpha.
Kade nips my lower lip ever so slightly before he pulls away. He doesn't leave my little bubble until he has sufficiently scent marked my left cheek and neck. I ache to return the favor, but offering him the privilege to dominate me this way means more than scent marking him would.
A sexy whistle snaps him out of it, and I growl at Silas for breaking the moment. The asshole waves and makes a motion with his hands and mouth to mimic eating.
Also growling at the cockblock, Kade rumbles under his breath, "I still can't believe we let that fucker find our omega first."
Snorting, I push him away from me so he can finish dinner. I want to continue ogling my beta and omega anyway. We've learned to appreciate the good days.
"There was no we, Kade," I deny his statement. "If I remember correctly, you had me pinned against the wall in the janitor’s closet much like you were a second ago. I also remember—"
"Away with you!" he snaps, eyes twinkling with laughter even as his scent thickens with arousal. Probably recalling all the dirty shit we got up to around campus.
Laughing with my whole chest, I rush away from him, glad for the permission to leave my station. As I get closer, I realize Vivie and Silas are talking in hushed tones. With their heads close together, I can practically feel the mischievousness radiating off them.
Pride fills me as their postures shift and naturally turn to include me. As my beta and omega, they aren't wired to block me or Kade out. Even in Vivian's hardest times, her shoulders will always turn toward me, not against.
"What are you two plotting?" I ask with a teasing lilt to my tone so they know I'm not being a demanding alphahole. "And please tell me it's something sweet."
Vivie grins, and holy hell does that simple facial expression make me the happiest man in the world. It's as if her lips know just the right way to tug on the dopamine in my brain.
"Nothing," she murmurs, fidgeting in her chair. She can't hide her giggle when she glances at Silas though.
Silas lifts his chin, choosing not to be cheeky and secretive like our omega. "We were actually hypothesizing what you guys were talking about. Care to share? We have a bet going on."
Groaning, I stand tall and cross my arms. Always with the bets. "And what are you betting this time?"
I'm not actually upset with their friendly gambles.
Silas has always been a very serious, determined man.
He would say that even as a kid he was always locked in and determined to help his loved ones with anything and everything.
For a beta, he's a very intense individual with his focus and determination.
And Vivian, well she deserves to do anything that makes her happy. As long as the bet isn't to pull another prank on me, I'm on board.
"First tell us what you were talking about," Vivie demands, matching my pose with crossed arms. One eyebrow raised and her scent mixing with the natural outdoors, combined with her comfort and ease tonight, she's a fucking vision.
Willing my dick to calm down, I pull a chair out opposite them and lick my lips. "What do I get in return for this information?"
Vivian groans and rolls her eyes. Silas reacts similarly but with an added kick to my shin. "Tell us, Alpha. We can easily change the bet to include a pair of scissors and your snores."
I gasp, clutching my blond locks that hang loose around my shoulders. "You wouldn't!"
Vivian's laugh is cut off by Kade's booming declaration by the grill. "Nobody is cutting anyone’s hair!"
"Boo," Silas grumbles at the same time Vivian pouts.
They're adorable this evening. I mean they always are, but the best is when we're all able to relax and just be with each other.
There's no extra work stress. Vivian has found her balance between being in her subconscious and being present since her heat.
There hasn't been any hissing or concerning changes either.
Narrowing my eyes at them, I relent. "I'll tell you, but if it's a prank you have to change it to Kade, deal?
" When they both nod eagerly, I grin. "When I was watching you two, I was reminded of the first time I saw you, Vivie.
You were sitting on the park bench with a blanket wrapped around you.
The sun was setting, you were fucking glowing.
Silas said something to make you laugh, and I watched as you playfully pushed him away.
Fucker looked like he just won the lottery, and I about pulled something in my leg running over to meet you. "
Vivian's eyes are warm and soft as she listens to me until Silas turns to her with a wicked grin and says, "Pay up, princess."
"Mother F-ing, son of a—" she finishes with a growl while climbing to her feet.
Silas snickers and leans back in his chair to watch. Watch what, I can’t tell yet, but judging by the excitement on his face, he's going to love it. I hope I will too.
To my surprise and complete delight, Vivie removes her shirt, leaving her standing in the middle of the patio in just a lacy black bra and gray sweatpants.
My cock takes notice, and there's nothing else I can focus on as Vivian rolls her body in a seductive wave, then bends in half to touch her toes.
Completely bent over for Kade, the alpha snarls and clenches his fists to keep from reaching for her.
Slowly uncurling, Vivian grabs her tits and pushes them up, giving us a hot as hell view of her body.
With a tiny lip bite, she drops her head back on her shoulders and sighs at the same time she pinches her nipples.
"Fuck," I growl, completely entranced. I'm not surprised when my exclamation snaps her out of it and her eyes spring open with a blush rising furiously on her cheeks.
Embarrassed, she hurries toward me and straddles my thighs. With her face buried in my neck, she breathes heavily. Based on her blooming perfume, it's a mixture of neediness and anxiety since she's hiding.
Silas clears his throat, startling me. Above us, he slowly tucks Vivie's blanket around her bare shoulders and leans down to praise her. "That was fucking beautiful, Vivian. Good job."
She whimpers slightly and wiggles against my hard cock. "Butterfly, as much as I want to stuff you full of my throbbing knot right now, we really need to feed you."
Nodding against me, her lips brush against her bite mark on my neck.
My dick jerks and I have to force a breath through my nose to calm down.
Giving my pack pointers and tips on exotic dancing has been a gift and a curse.
I fucking love it when they do some sexy movements, but it's usually meant to tease when I can't do shit about it.
Even Kade can do a damn good grind on the floor.
His handstand is pretty kickass too, and when he slowly lowers himself to the floor. ..fuuuuuck.
"That was really damn good, Butterfly," I coo into her ear and kiss her shoulder. "Food first, then maybe I'll put on a show for you too."
Perking up, Vivian leans back and looks me in the eye. Hers are wide and hopeful, making me grin. "Promise?"
"Promise, only if you tell me what you guessed our conversation was by the grill." I kiss the tip of her nose, hoping to encourage her to talk to me. I know she got a little nervous about the dance, but I'm hoping she won't get stuck in her head over it.
Sighing, she tells me what was on her mind. "I thought you were talking about Silas. His all black outfit and warm lighting reminded me of all the nights he spent out on the football field at university. Plus he's a little scruffy and dirty today."
"Only because I was prepping the flower beds for you, mate," he adds with a touch of sass and a ton of love.
"Yes, Beta," Vivie soothes, smiling and batting her lashes at Silas.
Kade breaks it up by placing a tray of burgers on the big patio table. "Alright, my loves, let’s eat before another shirt gets thrown too close to the firepit."
Gasping, Vivian looks past Silas on the other side of the table and finds her shirt within two feet of the gas flames. "Oops." She cringes.
Kade grabs her chin with his thumb and pointer finger. With her doe eyes locked on his, he kisses her sweetly. Then rumbles, "That was hot as hell, Omega."
Vivian beams and tucks into her burger while still sitting happily on my lap. All I can think about, even with a raging boner and her slick pussy inches away, is how fucking happy I am.
I love our life together.