Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
“And then she asked me if I’d been baking.
” Will gives a slight wince as he tells the story of how he and Izzy met.
But I’ll be honest, the dude does smell like vanilla.
Kind of like a sugar cookie. I mean, his scent is mixed with the scents of his pack, but it’s easy to spot which one belongs to him.
Kind of like how Adley smells like each of us now, but her sweet, floral, orange blossom scent rings out above the rest.
“That’s all right, mate. It all turned out for the best, didn’t it?
” Asher is the calm and cool one, smooth with his British accent and good looks.
I recognize him from some movies a while back, and from running in some famous circles in L.A.
back when I still played ball. I’m sure we’ve been to some of the same parties, but I never talked to the guy.
“Definitely the best.” Will sits back down on the couch, another beer in hand.
Despite the video game consoles and gaming PC hooked up to the big TV on the wall, the part of the basement we’re in isn’t exactly a “Man Cave” or anything.
Hard to be that when the woman you’re with is probably a more voracious gamer than her men.
But it’s really cozy, and makes me hope that our renovated home will have a similar vibe.
The colors are lighter down here than in the rest of the house, but still match. Light grays, whites, very few black accents. There are two couches down here, both facing the TV, both plush with built-in recliners.
Matthew reclines on the far end, sips his beer, and laughs. “They had it easy. Will had no history with Izzy, and Asher’s history with her was good. Me, on the other hand? I was an absolute idiot.”
This piques my interest, but Ezra beats me to my question. “What did you do?”
“I ran away from her. Like, literally. Not a word, just gone.”
Ouch.
“But she forgave you. Obviously.” Ezra points out the obvious.
“She sure did. Luckiest guy in the world over here.”
That’s debatable. I mean, I’m sure each pack feels that way, but it’s tough to look at another pack and think, “Boy, are they lucky bastards!” when you feel like you’ve won the lottery of life yourself.
“Adam tells us you’re rebuilding that old house on the farm land Adley’s uncle owned.”
I nod my head as I look at Will. “Yeah, that’s going to start soon. We’ve got the architect coming tomorrow afternoon, then we’ll start moving stuff out of the house this weekend before the plans are completed. Get a head start.”
“Count us in to help.” Matthew downs the rest of his bottle and sits forward, pushing the reclining leg rest in.
“Absolutely. Could do with a bit of exercise. We’re all sitting on our arses a bit too much lately.” There’s humor in Asher’s tone, and I grin.
“We’d appreciate all the help we can get.”
“There’s a lot of stuff in that house,” Adam says evenly. “I don’t think Adley’s uncle liked to throw anything away.”
“You guys should have seen the trailer that was on the land a couple of months ago.” Ezra’s head shakes. “But at least that’s gone now.”
“Yeah, this way, Adley and the animals have a place to stay while the house is demolished.”
Ezra looks at me, then Adam, and back. “You guys could always stay with us.”
I blink, my brows fly upward. “That’s… really nice of you to offer. Might be a bit of a tight space, though.”
“Maybe we can stay part-time,” Adam suggests. “It’ll be a good way to test living together.”
“You all don’t live together yet?” Will sounds shocked.
“Nope. Adam and I have separate apartments, Ezra’s in the new trailer on Adley’s land, and Adley’s in the house with all the dogs and cats.”
Matthew gives me a strange look, and I frown.
“What?”
“I take it you haven’t all been together yet? You know, at the same time?”
My lips part to answer, but this strange sensation muddies my brain. I knew that packs had group sex, especially during an Omega’s heat, but we’d never talked about it. And besides that, Adley hasn’t gone into heat.
Yet.
I look at Adam, and his expression mirrors mine, his brain obviously working in overdrive. Then, as I turn to Ezra, he looks almost… determined. Like, he’s thinking through the logistics of how to all be together at the same time.
Asher’s laughter rings out and echoes slightly off the somewhat barren walls down here. “Well, that answers that, doesn’t it?”
“Why are you asking?”
Matthew puts his palms up, his head shakes. “Nothing bad, man. I just knew you couldn’t have all been together and not live together after.”
“There’s a huge change in the pack dynamic once you’ve all mated at the same time,” Will explains, his brows pinched. “It’s like a whole new level of bonding.”
“You Alphas will become true brothers. You’ll do anything for one another, and for your Omega. It’s truly amazing.” Asher rises from his seat and walks to the mini fridge. “Anyone for another drink?”
Like he didn’t just drop a bombshell on us.
Or, maybe just me, I realize as I look to my brothers, who don’t seem surprised.
Adam grew up here. He has a brother who’s in an amazing pack with a growing family. And Ezra grew up in a small town, so, maybe he knows more about pack life than I thought.
Me? I always lived in bigger cities and places with high populations that demanded suppressants and looked down on packs as crazy outliers. Places where scent matching is deemed cultish.
I never felt that way while I lived there, and my beliefs were only solidified when I moved here, saw all the happy packs living peacefully and thriving.
Now, I have my own pack, and I’ll do anything to keep them all safe. Anything to ensure we all thrive.
And who knows? Maybe sharing our Omega at the same time won’t be so bad.
Maybe it’ll even be great.