Chapter 32 Wells
Wells
We’re disembarking, each of us taking at least of two of Claire’s bags along with our own, as we head to the gangway.
“So long Haven of the Seas. I love you!” I shout at the ship and Claire snorts at me.
“You’re really going to miss it?” she asks and I shake my head, taking another one of her bags.
“Not a chance, we have a much brighter future ahead of us, but you gotta admit this turned out pretty amazing,”
“It did turn out pretty wonderful, didn’t it?” she says with a wink.
The staff procures us a cart for all of our luggage, and we’re by far not the only pack getting off at this stop. Multiple packs are offloading luggage and getting the hell off the ship.
Andie, Moses, and the rest of his pack are further down the dock, and we wave at them one last time. There are a few other faces I recognize, but there’s also one I could never forget. It was the woman who touched my arm and sent Claire into a jealous rage.
Her long blonde hair that’s filled with evil intentions blows in the wind as she holds her chin up high. Three bond marks on her neck. She’s quickly approaching us and I curse under my breath.
“You should have told me you were headed back home, too. We could have planned to bring our larger jet. It’s bigger than anything the S?rensen’s have,” she sneers.
Claire rolls her eyes and plants a hand on her hip. I take a similar stance; we need a united front of hatred towards this woman. I’m ready to hip check the Omega into the water if need be, even if it would break my mom’s hearts.
My Omega’s honor comes first.
“That’s okay, Megan, I wouldn’t want to spend any more time with you than I have to. We’re only stopping in New York. You can have Manhattan all to yourself now,” Claire states, and the woman straightens her shoulders with a huff.
“I see you’re not leaving with any bond marks.”
“You know, Megan, I always wonder what it was about me that made me a target for you. You’re well off.
You had the same advantages that I did. Then I was in the same circles as your family and it made sense.
You might have had every material thing you wanted, Megan, but you didn’t have loving parents.
I feel sorry for you,” Claire says, exhaustion laced in her tone.
“I truly hope that you found a pack who can give you that love you never received from your family, I really do. But I’m done with this.
I don’t care what you think about me, my family or my pack, because to be honest, Megan, your opinion doesn’t mean shit to me. Have a great life.”
“Ooooh,” I say a little too loud and the blonde Omega glares at me, and I can tell my Omega is holding in a laugh.
Claire turns her back on the Omega woman, who seems stunned by her words.
The blonde’s face is in a contorted grimace.
When I see the Alphas she’s chosen to bond with, I can see why.
I only know Brad because he was the Alpha who came onto this ship with the Beta woman I advised to leave on night one.
It seems the Beta heeded my advice, but now my Omega’s nemesis is forever linked to these assholes.
Sometimes the world does right its wrongs.
“You okay, sweetheart?” I ask her, kissing her cheek.
“Taking the high road is kind of lame. I kinda wish I would’ve hit her,” she mumbles, and I bark out a laugh. I know the vile words she said about Claire and Forrest, so I don’t blame her.
“You want me to call her back over?”
She leans into me, still tired from her heat. “No, I just want to go home.”
Music to my ears.
It’s around dinner time when we arrive at Claire’s building.
All of us are ready to get some rest and prepare to meet Claire’s family tomorrow.
I’m fine to stay in the city for however long Claire needs, but I can’t deny that I’m itching to get back home.
I want to see what our house looks like with our beautiful Omega in it.
We aren’t so lucky, though.
As soon as the elevator opens, we’re faced with more people than I expected. Along with a hoard of dogs. Some of them are the size of small ponies and another one looks like it could fit in a small purse.
I automatically pet the large head of the dog that comes to sniff me.
“I told them to wait till tomorrow,” a brunette Omega says as Claire’s eyes go wide.
“I thought we were going to see everyone tomorrow,” Claire says, looking around.
“You’ve been gone for weeks. You think we could wait a whole day to see you?” a woman that could only be Claire’s mom says. She’s a near doppelg?nger of my Omega and I realize my Omega is going to be beautiful forever.
As soon as I make that realization, I quickly notice how intimidating everyone else in her family is.
While Claire’s mom wraps her in a hug, a Beta with an octopus tattoo on his goddamn neck glares at me, two large Alphas at his back.
Claire clears her throat, parting from her mother as we fully enter the apartment.
“This is Wells, and Forrest, and…well, you already know Elliot,” Claire says.
Her Beta father lets out a grunt and I swallow thickly.
“This is my mom, Liv, and my dads; River, Grayson, and Dean.” The first is the tattooed Beta, followed by a massive blonde Alpha competing in size with Forrest. The last Alpha also bears some resemblance to Claire and also looks like he might be a part of the mob.
I thought my massive family was intimidating, but I think Claire takes the cake.
Claire clears her throat when her family doesn’t say anything, “That’s my best friend, Shiloh, and her pack,” she says, pointing to the four other people in the room.
“So you’re just not going to mention that I’m your brother?” the younger tall blonde Alpha male asks.
“Right, my brother Jonah, and that’s Mack and Cole,” she says, pointing to the other men.
The elevator behind us chimes and Claire groans.
“Sorry I’m late,” a man says, strolling in. He’s also decked out in tattoos. By his size I would have assumed he was an Alpha, but he isn’t putting off any pheromones.
“And that’s my brother Axel,” Claire says, and the large Beta man gives us a grin.
“Claire Bear, look at you, coming back with a pack,” he says, approaching Elliot and locking his arm around his neck. Elliot and him both start to wrestle as Axel kisses the side of Elliot’s head. “You better have been a respectful gentleman with my sister, El.”
Elliot rolls his eyes and eventually shoves the man off of him.
“Come, you must be hungry. I made your favorite, honey,” Liv says, grabbing her daughter’s wrist and dragging her through the house.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Shiloh, is mouthing the words ‘I’m sorry’. I can’t tell if they’re directed at Claire or to me.
The dogs all trot after Claire’s mother like she’s the Alpha of their pack and it's amusing.
But as we sit down for dinner, it becomes clear that the words of apology are for me.
Especially as I sit right across from her Beta father, who is openly staring at me.
I look to my left and right. Apparently, no one else is seeing this, so I adjust myself in my seat and take a heavy sip of my water.
Shouldn’t there be some solidarity between Beta bros? If anything his glare should be directed toward Forrest or Elliot, but nope, he stares at me like he’s digging around to find my soul.
The dog who sniffed me earlier at least likes me as he drools on my lap begging for food. I’m petting the dog’s head, using his sleek fur to ground me when her Beta father finally speaks.
“What are your intentions with my daughter?” he says, and I swear he doesn’t blink, before shifting to Forrest and then landing with a tilt of his head on Elliot. “Hmm?”
“To take care of her, bond her, give her the pack she deserves,” Elliot says plainly, not looking away from the intimidating Beta.
There’s a long moment of silence. River and Elliot just staring at each other, before the Beta has a wide grin spread over his face.
“Good, my princess deserves the best,” her dad says and Forrest chokes on his water. I smack his back with some force.
“How was the cruise, was it fantastic?” Claire’s mom asks, smiling at her daughter.
“I’m sure it was disgusting. Alphas rutting all over the ship,” Axel says and I can’t help but to snort.
“You’re not completely off base there,” I reply, and Claire’s tattooed brother gives me a conspiratorial smile. At least someone got the Beta bros’ memo.
“So, you’ll be taking my sister back to New Hampshire. Does this mean I get a free season pass at the resort?” Axel says.
Claire rolls her eyes. “Seriously? That’s what you care about? Skiing?”
“Obviously it’s my first concern, then, of course, your happiness.”
Claire’s largest father, Grayson, grabs Axel by the back of the neck and squeezes. Something tells me out of the three siblings Axel was the most trouble, Claire was the most coddled, and Jonah the most responsible.
“We’re happy as long as you’re happy, Claire Bear. I’m glad you found what you’re looking for,” Grayson says.
“And that certain people—who will not be named—came to their senses,” Axel chimes in, his words pointed at Elliot, who gives his friend a subtle middle finger as he scratches the side of his head.
We pass around the family style dishes and I groan as I eat. The food on the cruise was good, but nothing beats a home-cooked meal.
“Mrs. S?rensen, this food is incredible,” I tell her, making sure to not talk with my mouth full. Forrest is next to me, also shoveling food in his face, but I can’t tell if it’s because he’s starving or he feels uncomfortable with Claire’s family. It’s more than likely a mixture of both.
“Thank you. You can call me Liv. We’re about to be a family, after all.” She sighs dreamily. “It’s a precious experience watching your children grow up into these incredible humans and watching them find the love you know they deserve.”
As she says the words, Axel quietly leaves the table and Liv gives us a small smile.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she says as she follows her middle son.
Dean, Claire’s father, who has said little, finally speaks. “Do you plan on spending all your time in New Hampshire?” he asks, and I can tell the thought of it hurts him.
I come from a loving home, but it’s clear that Claire’s family is very tightly knit.
“Of course not, Dad. We’ll only be a few hours away. You’re always welcome to visit and I know we’ll be visiting too,” Claire assures him and her dad clears his throat.
Claire is the youngest, the last one to leave the nest, and it’s clear that it’s a hard concept for her parents to accept.
“We’ll take the best care of her, sir, I promise,” I reassure him.
The man gives me a tight smile and digs back into his food.
“Alright, so tell us everything that happened on board,” Shiloh says, changing the conversation, like any good best friend would.
The rest of the night goes smoothly, and her family grows less intimidating, but by the end of the night, Claire can barely hold her eyes open.
“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you to bed,” I tell her; Forrest is in complete agreement, the man is definitely people’d out.
When we step into her bedroom, I realize now just how exceptionally ugly the Under the Sea suite was and I’m happy she’s back into her life of luxury.
Forrest and I will make sure that she always has whatever she needs to feel comfortable at all times. It felt real when we were on the ship, but now that we’re a few steps closer to being back home, it’s all really clicking.
We have an Omega. I have a pack.
I grin to myself as I undress down to my underwear and slip into Claire’s soft, luxurious sheets. Forrest helps Claire get her clothes off, and she crawls into bed with me, and I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tight.
“I like your family,” I tell her honestly and she smiles into my neck.
“You’re my family too,” she says softly, and my heart pumps a little harder as I kiss the top of her head.
We don’t need a bond mark to make it official, but I can’t deny that I’m longing for the moment we’re connected in a deeply intrinsic way only a bond can create.
“I love you, Claire,” I tell her, no longer able to keep the words inside me.
“Love you too, Wells,” she whispers.
“I’m so happy we’re going home and starting our pack,” I reply, hugging her so tight like I’m trying to get inside her skin.
Forrest stands at the end of the bed, having heard the whole conversation. There isn’t jealousy, just pure awe as he gives me a small smile, his dark brown eyes a little glassy as he gets into bed with us. He kisses Claire’s head and pets down my hair in an affectionate embrace.
I feel wholly loved, and it’s all I ever wanted.