Chapter 4
4
DEVYN
“So, I take it your anniversary went well?” Skylar asks as we head onto the freeway. Ben had to go into his office early, so my best friend picked me up for work.
I have a car when I need one, but carpooling is much more fun and environmentally friendly!
It’s my first day back since the trip, and I’m excited to see everyone.
This is the best job I’ve ever had—and I know some people might say it’s weird to love a coffee shop job, but I do.
It’s owned by April and her mom, Tammy, and they’ve made me feel welcome since the first day I started. Besides being a manager, they’ve taught me to bake, and I adore it.
I can’t wait to be back. I have a ton of new ideas for macaron flavors.
“It did go well! It was so beautiful there, Skye. You would have loved it. I felt like a princess.”
Skylar groans in disbelief. “Really? Was there a clawfoot bathtub?”
“ Yes !”
“You brat. I’m jealous.”
Skylar and I bonded over our love of fancy things. April, however, doesn’t share the same enthusiasm.
Which is ironic, because she’s the one with a pack of billionaires.
Freaking billionaires.
But she knows Skylar and I love all things luxury, so she’s been spoiling us any chance she gets.
The matching gold friendship bracelets we all wear? Courtesy of April.
“I met Wilson, too. The actual cat,” I add.
“ What ?” Skylar slams on the brakes at a light and I lurch forward, almost spilling my tumbler of iced coffee. “The cat that’s on the card games we play? The Wilson? The cat I have a plush of?”
“Yes!”
“Augh!”
After a good minute of both of us freaking out about my anniversary trip, I decide to bring up the one event that’s made me feel like a terrible girlfriend.
Hopefully Skylar has some advice.
“So, something else happened,” I add, and Skylar’s smile falls slightly as we pull into the café parking lot. “And Ben says it’s not a big deal, but I think it is.”
“What happened?”
“I called him ‘Alpha,’ more than once.” I swallow, bracing for my friend’s reaction.
Skylar parks the car, turns off the engine, and frowns. “Hmm.”
I let out a breath. “What does that mean?”
“It was during your Heat, right?” Skylar turns to me, her rich blue eyes soft. “That’s natural, Dev. Did it bother Ben?”
I shake my head. “It didn’t. He wants me to have a pack.”
Skylar searches my gaze. “And you want a pack,” she says.
I swallow. We’ve had this conversation before, and the last time we did, I burst into tears. “What if I lose him?” I ask quietly. “Ben—he’s my?—”
“Your family,” Skylar finishes.
I nod. “I don’t want to risk anything. What if something goes wrong? What if it makes us grow distant?” I fidget in my seat, ashamed of the tears that pool in my eyes.
Skylar nods and leans back in the seat. She lets out a deep sigh, then drums her fingers on the steering wheel. “Your family doesn’t just leave you like that, Dev,” she says softly. “Not your chosen family.”
There’s a distant look in Skylar’s eyes, and I’m reminded of what Skylar’s been through.
Skylar chose her own family after her biological parents treated her terribly. She considers Tammy her mother and April her sister.
Part of me wishes I could be like Skylar. She has her pack, along with her bonus mother and sibling.
I have Ben, and that’s it. Ben’s parents like me, but I don’t know them well enough to consider us close.
Skylar and April are my best friends, and Tammy is a great mentor.
But I’m no one’s emergency contact. I’m not their family.
I stuff the longing down. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have great people in my life, and some people don’t have anything .
“I know,” I say quietly.
“Maybe you should take a chance, and trust Ben.” Skylar turns toward me. “And if things go badly—trust that he’ll be there to support you.”
I swallow and nod. “Maybe.”
Skylar’s eyes soften, then she grins. “April told me that a certain coffee guy is coming in today.”
My face burns, and my heart beats rapidly. “Really?”
My inner Omega does a backflip.
I know exactly who she’s talking about.
Connor, the owner of Con Coffee .
He’s so handsome I can’t stand it.
He’s polite and sweet, and he smells like dark chocolate and coffee, the perfect combination.
Skylar and April already blabbed to Ben about my crush, which is why Ben had made it clear that I should find my pack.
“Yup.” Skylar smirks. “And I don’t think he needs to be here for a coffee delivery. He’s the owner of the company, after all. Interesting that he would travel all the way to Isleton just to drop off some beans.”
“Stop it,” I murmur, unbuckling my seat belt and opening the passenger door.
“You need a pack, kiddo,” Skylar adds as she exits the car.
“I’m not a kid.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
I gape at Skylar, who hurries ahead of me into the café.
* * *
It’s packed today.
We have a new macaron flavor—raspberry vanilla—and we’ve already had preorders set up, so customers are showing up to pick up their boxes.
The new flavor was my idea, by the way. Tammy encouraged me to come up with more flavors, and I crafted this one in the middle of the night with Ben watching me.
Sometimes I can’t sleep, so I’ll spend the night baking. I also blow up the group chat with Skylar and April, who yell at me in the morning to stop texting them in the middle of the night.
Tammy is at the café today too, helping run the cash register. She looks like an older version of April, with kind light brown eyes and soft features.
When she sees me, she gives me a friendly wave, and I run up and hug her, interrupting the transaction with the customer.
“Dev, honey, grab your apron,” Tammy says, giving me a quick squeeze. “We’re busy right now. We’ll catch up later, okay?”
“I know. I missed you,” I say, then mouth a quick sorry to the person in line. I head to the back, toss my purse on one of the stock shelves, and grab my apron.
After, I head to the front and spend the next few hours brewing coffee and running back and forth between the register and the pastry display. Occasionally, I’ll bring a cookie or latte to a table.
I love it. I’m allowed unlimited access to the coffee, so I take a few sips here and there as I race to fulfill customer orders.
“The raspberry vanilla is our most popular, by the way,” Tammy adds once the café has quieted and we’re almost out of the limited-edition macaron. “You did great, Devyn. Everyone loves it. Better than the Valentine’s Day flavors we did.”
I soak up Tammy’s praise and grin widely. Anytime I can make her happy, it’s worth it.
She’s wise, kind, and welcoming.
The minute she hired me, I knew I was in good hands.
She’s encouraged me to learn more and never doubted me, even when I was made a manager out of necessity because April and Skylar went missing.
She’s just the best .
April is truly lucky to have Tammy as a mom.
“So, now that the rush is gone”—Tammy closes the cash register and leans on the counter— “tell me about your trip. Oh, but also, we’re waiting for a delivery from Connor. He should be here any minute.”
Connor.
I forgot about Connor once I threw myself into my work, but at the mention of his name, my inner Omega purrs to life.
Alpha.
Tammy raises an eyebrow and chuckles at whatever she sees on my face. “Oh. I heard all about Connor. He’s been asking about you, apparently.”
“Yeah, he has!” Skylar yells from the stockroom. “But someone is being stubborn about it.”
“Devyn? Stubborn?” April walks out from the back, wiping flour off her apron. “I couldn’t imagine.”
I make a face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumble.
But Tammy’s kind eyes see right through me. “You know I won’t ever tell you what you should do,” she says softly. “You can ignore the girls if you want, but you should do what’s best for Devyn. And I think after the conversations we’ve had, it wouldn’t hurt to just say hello to him.”
I’ve had a lot of heart-to-hearts with Tammy, especially while Skylar and April were gone. Those continued after my friends were rescued, and I’ve learned to come to Tammy for advice.
She knows I want a pack.
Everyone knows I want a pack.
So, what am I so afraid of?
What are you afraid of, Dev? What is so frightening to you that you won’t take a chance to make your life better?
The door chimes and swings open, interrupting my train of thought.
Connor’s here.
I see a flash of copper hair, then panic and turn to Tammy, who heads away from the counter.
“I’ll be in the back,” she calls to me, leaving me completely alone at the front.
Alone with Connor, the most handsome Alpha I’ve ever seen in my life.
It’s stupid. No one should look like that.
He’s supposed to be delivering coffee, but there’s nothing in his hands. He gives me a smile and a slight, awkward wave, and it only makes me like him more.
He’s dressed in a dark blue sweater, which makes the intensity of his green eyes pop.
My inner Omega swoons, practically drooling as I take him in.
“Hey, Dev,” he says, still smiling. “You got a minute?”
“I—”
A minute? I have hours. Days. Months.
Decades.
Eons!
“Sure,” I chirp, leaning against the counter for balance.
My legs are shaking.
He walks closer, and his scent fully hits me.
Chocolate, the slightest hint of bourbon, and…
Coffee.
Coffee, my lifeblood, my elixir .
Connor smells like freshly roasted beans, like sipping a latte next to a fireplace.
I’m not sure “ hi, you smell like beans ” is the best way to start a conversation, though.
“All the coffee is in the back of my car,” he says. “There’s more than usual, so I was wondering if you all could help?—”
“Hi, Connor!” Skylar comes out of the back, making me jump in surprise. Connor notices my reaction and raises an eyebrow.
“Are you okay?” he asks, cocking his head slightly.
“Yup!” I squeak.
Have a normal conversation, Dev!
“We’ll grab the coffee. Don’t worry,” Skylar says, grinning at my reaction. “Luke and Jamie just got here, too.”
Suddenly, everyone is rushing out of the café, leaving Connor at the counter with me.
Damn them.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Connor runs a hand through his copper hair, and I want to tug at it.
I need to get it together. I like him, and the first step is to just talk to him and not collapse at the counter.
“I am. Do you want a cookie?” I blurt. Before he can answer, I hurry to the pastry display and pluck one of the raspberry vanilla macarons off the tray.
When April couldn’t talk to Donovan, the Alpha she thought was cute, I had her give him a cookie.
Now they’re mated.
“Here!” I wrap the macaron in a napkin and hand it to Connor, who looks at me, baffled. “We’re almost sold out of these. This is my custom flavor. Tell me if you like it!”
For some reason, that seems to work, and Connor visibly relaxes as he looks at the macaron. “If you made it, I’m sure it’s perfect.” He grins, and then brings the cookie to his mouth and takes a bite.
My face flames, and I wait for his reaction as he chews. His eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, wow, that’s delicious,” he mutters, and I laugh, the tension leaving my body.
“Good! That means your taste buds aren’t broken.”
“Maybe you’re just extremely talented.” But Connor’s smile is soft, and I can’t help but smile back.
That’s the other things about Connor.
He’s an Alpha, but he’s not some broody grump, at least from what I’ve seen when he visits the café.
His strength appears to come from his warmth and kindness.
It reminds me of Ben.
Connor seems to be a genuinely good person, besides being drop-dead gorgeous and smelling like sexy beans.
Maybe I had no reason to be nervous, after all.
“You know,” he continues. “There is something I wanted to ask you, if you have a second.”
For the first time, his eyes darken. His gaze falls to my lips, and suddenly I can’t breathe.
“Oh?”
“Can I—” He clears his throat. “ May I take you out to dinner?”
I blink. “Huh?”
There’s no way he said what I think he said, right?
Connor shrugs and looks amused, keeping a soft smile on his face. “If you have any free time, I’d love to take you out,” he says gently.
I open and close my mouth.
My inner Omega does the splits.
I forgot how to talk. Where are April and Skylar? Where are my friends to help me through this?
What about Ben?
I know I look ridiculous. I must sound like a crazy, overcaffeinated Omega who’s never had a thought in her head.
But Connor doesn’t judge. He just watches me patiently, taking another bite of macaron while I struggle to form a response, like he has all the time in the world.
“We can go wherever you want,” he adds.
Ben’s words from our anniversary flit into my mind.
Anything you want .
My inner Omega screeches at me, clawing her way through my chest.
Connor smells like heaven. My heart is racing, and his eyes are so green?—
But the door to the café opens, and I lock eyes with my favorite person in the entire world.
“Hey, babe,” Ben says, giving me a smile. Then he looks at Connor, and I see the gears in his head turn.
Oh, my god.
April steps out of the stockroom with a box full of coffee beans, and I leave the register without giving Connor an answer or greeting my boyfriend.
April calls after me, but I barrel into the stockroom, heading past Luke and almost running into Skylar.
“Skylar. Emergency. Emergency! ”
But Skylar isn’t bothered by my cry for help. “What could you possibly need help with, Dev?” she sighs, rummaging through a shipping box. “I’m trying to adjust inventory after your new boyfriend’s coffee delivery arrived.”
“ He’s not my boyfriend !” I’m going to strangle her. Why doesn’t anyone else see this constitutes an emergency?
“You’re right, because you haven’t told him he can take you out yet. Now, be a big girl and go back out there.”
“But Ben’s out there. And they’re probably talking .”
Skylar stops what she’s doing and turns to me. “If the biggest problem is that Ben is a considerate, patient person, your life could be a lot worse.”
She’s right. I’m not the one that was kidnapped, like Skylar.
Skylar and April are both strong, and sometimes I forget about the trauma they faced.
Of course, my problems aren’t significant compared to a literal kidnapping.
At my face, she softens her tone. “I’m not trying to be harsh, Dev, but you can do this, and you don’t need my help.”
I chew my lip. She just doesn’t get it. Going out with Connor is a risk .
I’ve worked so hard to have the people in my life, and I can’t lose them.
“What if?—”
“What if this is a great decision, and you hiding in the back room is preventing it from happening? What if you’re adorable and loveable, and you deserve good things to happen to you?” Skylar insists, turning to me. Then she makes a face. “Gross. I sound like my therapist,” she mutters.
I sigh. “Your therapist is right. I can do this.”
As terrified as I am, I also want to say yes to Connor.
And I didn’t make it twenty-one years by living in fear.
“You’re an Omega, damn it,” Skylar adds, nodding. “Go claim that Alpha.”
I stick out my tongue out at her, then head back to front of the cafe. Ben is nowhere to be found, April is brewing coffee, and Connor is looking at me expectantly from the register.
“Sorry about that,” I mumble, my face flushing.
“I’ve never had someone run away from me after I asked them on a date,” he says, amused. “But Ben said you can be shy, so I’m hoping the answer isn’t no.”
At the mention of Ben’s name, I relax.
Ben wants this for me. For us.
“The answer is yes,” I say, and suddenly it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Connor’s answering smile tells me I did the right thing.
* * *
“I can’t believe you guys talked,” I murmur to Ben as we cuddle on the couch.
It turns out he arrived at the café to pick me up from my shift. I had lost track of time due to how busy it was, and once Ben showed up, my shift was over.
It was a happy accident Connor was there at the same time.
“It was only for a moment.” Ben shrugs, wrapping his arm around me tightly. “This is all about you, babe. I didn’t want to make it weird.”
I squirm. “Isn’t this weird, though?” I ask. “I don’t know how to do this, Ben.” I bury my head in his arm and whine.
“Yeah, I’m not going to pick out your boyfriends for you.” Ben laughs. “I can only do so much, Dev. And I know you want this, so stop trying to get out of it.”
Here’s the thing. I’ve never actually dated an Alpha before.
I’ve never had a pack.
This is all brand-new to me.
It’s exciting. My inner Omega has wanted one for so long, and now it might actually happen.
I let out a tiny growl and bite Ben’s bicep, and he playfully pulls my hair.
“I wonder what he’ll do when he finds out that you’re a growler,” he murmurs. “And a biter.”
“What do you think will happen?” I pull my face from his arm and study Ben’s face carefully.
“I think if he’s smart, he’ll fall in love with you immediately,” he says. “He’ll see what I see and wish he built a time machine to meet you sooner.”
I break out into a ridiculous grin, and Ben mirrors my smile.
“Dev. Any guy would be lucky to have you in his pack. It’s your job to decide if someone is worth it. You don’t need to be nervous. He does. I was nervous when we started dating,” he admits.
I tilt my head. “Really?”
He nods. “Yes, babe. You could have told me to screw off at any time. I expected you to for the first week.”
My mouth falls open. “Why? You’re the best!”
He interlocks our fingers and kisses my hand. “Yes, and I was a Beta with no experience dating an Omega,” he murmurs against my hand. “I didn’t know shit about it. Our first week, I was up every night researching Heats.”
My chest tightens. “I didn’t know that.”
“And I’m still learning,” he admits. “Maybe there are things Connor can teach me.”
He looks at me knowingly, a smirk forming on his face.
My core clenches at the images that fill my head, and Ben leans in to kiss me.
“It’s going to be great,” he whispers against my lips. “ You’re going to be great. And when you get home after your date…I’ll be able to lick up all that slick that’ll be in your panties.”
My breath catches.
I hadn’t even thought of that—leave it up to Ben to be the sweetest guy on earth with the filthiest mind.
I can’t wait for this date.