Chapter 4
It’s too fucking cold for this shit. Or I need a heavier coat.
Cupping my hands to my face, I blow across them, trying to warm up my frozen fingers.
It shouldn’t be this cold yet. Sure, it’s November, but come the fuck on.
Maybe Spence is right, and I have been losing weight.
Now that he works at the gym, I can try hitting it a few days a week and get some cardio.
Maybe help my circulation. Getting old fucking sucks.
Not that thirty-five is old, but the last six months have kicked my ass hard.
I flex my fingers to work out the stiffness before shoving them back into my pockets.
All I wanna do is drag my biggest packmate back to the apartment and fix a hot cup of tea or a bowl of soup.
It’s about lunchtime…I’m not really hungry, but something warm sounds amazing right now.
The holiday parade is always the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this weather seems obnoxiously cold already.
Steve has managed to irritate everyone here, and Pack Carpenter just left.
The kid’s an asshole, but at least he’s a loyal asshole.
Steph and Sal are packing up, too. Xan and Leo just put tiny knit caps on their kids’ heads before passing them back to Jacks and Candice for kangaroo care—they’re still so tiny.
I tug on Spence’s shoulder, trying to get his attention, but the poor guy is besotted by the twins.
They’re only a few months old, and one is getting strapped to Jacks’s chest while Candice is putting the other in a wrap and zipping her jacket almost all the way up.
There’s not much to see on either of them now except for the tiny stocking caps with rainbow pom-poms sticking up in front of their parents’ chins—but it doesn’t stop Spence from hovering.
The big guy loves kids, and I feel bad for any beta or omega that eventually ends up with our pack.
Spence has four sisters, all betas, and he’s convinced we need to find a nice girl and settle down and start a family.
He’s still pretty young, so he’s allowed to have that hope.
I gave up on it a while back. I’m getting too tired, and the idea of chasing around a half dozen or more littles is horrifying.
I mean, I’m not in bad shape. I like to keep fit, and while Oak Flats isn’t exactly a mecca of crime and depravity, being a cop means staying healthy enough to handle emergencies.
Sure, Sam tried to convince me to join the fire department too since he took over, but I’ll already be there in case shit goes down.
Spence jumped at the chance, though. I love the guy like a brother, but he volunteers for everything.
Anything to help people out. He’s already doing so much, it’s a surprise he has time to actually have a job.
Though now that he’s finished his degree, I guess it makes it easier.
The low, rumbly growl coming from the firefighter Santa standing behind his omega finally snaps Spence out of his baby fixation and he shuffles back to me, muttering an apology to Jacks and Candice for invading their personal space.
She waves him off and tells him it’s alright, but the skin around her eyes is tight—she’s really uncomfortable around other people, but tries to act like it doesn't bother her. That’s fine, we all wear our “out in public” masks just to survive.
Spence ducks his big head, his cheeks flushing hard as he mumbles a quick thank you and another apology before trying to hide behind me.
I’m not actually sure how he expects that to work.
Even if he wasn’t taller, he’s still twice as wide, and I wonder briefly again how I managed to form a pack with my baby brother’s best friend.
But the truth is the guy has charisma in spades. He’s just genuinely sweet and likeable.
I remember the first time he came to our house; our parents thought he was in my class, not Josh’s.
He and Spence have been best friends since elementary school, and after years of them hanging out at our place, Spence just became like a second little brother.
His home life was good, but both his parents and all his sisters are betas, so I think growing up he wanted to spend more time with other alphas, or probable alphas.
Of course, Josh fell hard for Billy in high school, and then Spence just kind of latched onto me.
Josh and Billy are still together and I’ve inherited an oversized golden-retriever alpha.
Thankfully, everything is easy with him.
He’s just the chillest guy I know, and I don’t want to hurt him by telling him that starting a pack with me and then adding Alistair means he probably won’t have an omega.
He wants someone to love so badly. I’m old enough that it’s gonna be hard to find someone who wants to start a family.
Alistair is so busy with work that getting him to agree to do anything is like pulling teeth.
And while I love Spence like family, he can’t take care of himself very well.
There’s no doubt he could survive on his own eating ramen noodles and frozen burritos, but that’s not exactly the life you want to present to a potential mate.
Spence’s big hand lands on my shoulder, drawing me out of my mental monologue. “Hey, you think Al’s back from his date yet? You think she might be ready to meet the rest of us?”
I turn to take in his hopeful expression and can’t bring myself to crush it. “Yeah, I mean…maybe. Let’s get the hell outta this wind and get going. We’ll see if he’s made it home.”
Spence looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding with determination and marching in the direction of our apartment.
I don’t know what’s going on in his head most of the time, but I don’t see how somebody could not love him after they’ve gotten to know him.
Of course, the problem with most of the women Alistair brings home is that they don’t want to get to know Spence or me.
Alistair is the professional, the professor, the one people look to as the leader—once they figure out he’s not an omega.
Which is ironic considering his personality and desire to avoid responsibility.
I’m honestly not sure why he ever thought being a college professor was a good fit—it’s like the antithesis of his outlook on life.
Still, that’s how Spence met him and brought him into our pack, like other people would bring home a stray puppy.
As I said, the man just has charisma in spades.
People want to be around him…except omegas, I guess.
Though we’ve never actually gone to an omega center to meet one, so who knows.
Maybe they would all be enamored of the big lug, too.
Istare intently as Spence comes out of the bedroom carrying a shiny box. I can’t make out anything else because his big hands are covering the photo and writing on the side. He looks at me sheepishly as he sets it on the counter.
“Spence, why do we need a fancy rice cooker? Seriously, the only things you ever make that aren’t frozen or just-add-water are potato and hotdog soup or PB she was only interested in him.
That’s not a problem—we’ve discussed dating outside the pack, but always with the understanding that before things get serious, they have to be able to deal with the fact that we’re a unit.
Our pack isn’t breaking up. Still, he looks like he’s been run through the wringer already.
Alistair closes the door and flips the deadbolt before walking across the room and flopping onto the couch.
He lets himself drop face-first into Spence’s pillow and pulls the blanket over his head.
His only response to our questions is a muffled groan.
Spence leaves off looking for a place to put his new kitchen toy and goes over to the couch, pulling the bundled-up Alistair into his lap and starting to purr.
Arms flail, trapped by blankets as the smaller alpha tries to free himself from our exuberant packmate. “For god’s sake, man, I’m not an omega! That doesn’t work on me!” The muffled shouting coming from our head alpha doesn’t dissuade Spence in the least.
“Well, Kelly said she likes it when Sam or Teddy purr for her. I thought it might help. I don’t know this stuff.” Instead of letting the smaller man go, he starts rocking back and forth as Alistar’s head finally pops free from the blanket. His eyes look drowsy despite his argument.
“Then maybe you should go purr for Kelly and get the hell off me. I don’t appreciate being manhandled!
” Spence’s face falls, and he slides out from under the bundled alpha.
The poor guy looks like he wants to cry as he mumbles under his breath, his feet shuffling against the worn carpet as he hurries to the bathroom. The door clicks quietly behind him.
All I can do is glare at Alistar, who looks both frustrated and sorry.
But the damage is done. Spence really liked the girl, more than he let anybody know, including her apparently.
From what I can tell, he wasn’t even on her radar, other than as someone she had class with.
Not that I’ve dug super deep, but while he works for Pack Carpenter now, and Kelly is always kind to him, it never seems anything other than friendly.
Alistair runs his hands down his face before dropping them to hang off his thighs.
“Shit. Sorry…to both of you. It was just…Fuck! I really liked Emily. I thought she actually wanted to be with me…maybe with us. But…ugh!” He brings his hands back up, slapping them on his cheeks and rubbing hard against his pale skin.
“Fuck a duck. I didn’t mean to take it out on him, and I know I shouldn’t have brought her up.
It feels weird, alright? Having somebody else purr for you?
Is it just me? I don’t know. And after this afternoon, I just… Shit, I need to go apologize.”