12. James
James
M y neck is starting to hurt, so I decide to call it a night, well, or a morning.
Making some changes on the thermostat and the heat lamps, I leave the greenhouse and lock the door.
When I turn, there’s a light splash in the water.
When I look over, Luna is sitting on the side of the pool with her feet swirling in the crystalline water.
I’m attracted to Luna, and I think our pack needs her.
The fact is, I’m not the Omega that Ian and Ezra desire.
I know that they love me, without a single shred of doubt.
But I’m not the feral, needy, wants-to-be-spoiled Omega that they crave.
I want Ian and Ezra to be happy, and I know how to share.
Luna being our pack makes sense. But where does that leave Luna and I?
Two Omegas isn’t particularly common, but I’m intrigued by her. I worry that I can’t give her what she needs. She needs Alphas; she doesn’t need an Omega who likes a copious amount of personal space and who lives in his own head.
She looks up at me and smiles softly.
“Hey,” she says.
“Hey.”
“Can’t sleep,” she says, swirling her feet in the water, making small ripples throughout the whole pool.
“I’ve got something for that if you’re willing.”
She nods, and I sit down next to her. We aren’t touching, but if I moved an inch, we would be. I take my vaporizer out of my pocket and a baggy with the already ground up bud, putting it in the end.
“I…um, I’ve never smoked before.”
“You don’t have to,” I tell her with complete honesty. This isn’t a hobby anyone in my pack has to share with me. Ian and Ezra do every now and then, but mostly it’s something I do alone.
“I want to, especially if it helps me sleep.”
“New room?”
She shakes her head no. “More like the whole situation.”
I nod. “Ian can be intense.”
She smiles. “I actually like that about him. It’s just, a lot to take in and well, I’m just really hurt that my mom didn’t even call to check up on me and this was decided without me.”
“But you want to be here?”
She smiles and nods. “Yeah, I really want to be here.”
“I want you here,” I say softly, taking Ezra’s advice. She needs to know where I stand. I’m not one for making a first move, but for her, I find myself willing.
She nudges my shoulder with hers, and I wish I could hold back my smirk, but I can’t. “You have to let me know if I cross any lines. You’re already bonded and—”
I cut her off and shake my head. “They need you, I need you.”
Her brows furrow as I wait for the light on the vaporizer to turn green. “I don’t understand.”
“They need an Omega who is affectionate, who needs them, who is less greedy with their time. I want Ian and Ezra to be happy, and that’s what they need.”
She shakes her head. “But what about you?”
“I’m still figuring that out.”
“But you’re happy I’m here? For more than just Ian and Ezra?” she says softly, trying not to show that I’ve hurt her feelings. I groan, hating how I can’t just communicate properly.
“I’m happy you’re here for Ezra and Ian and for myself. I just don’t know what I bring to the table for you.”
She shakes her head. “Maybe we could start by being friends and getting to know each other?” The answer is so sweet and simple. I nod and bring the vape to my lips, inhaling and holding it till my lungs burn before exhaling.
I hold it out to her. “Do you want to try?”
She shrugs. “Sure.”
“Just put this part on your lips and inhale. When it hits the back of your throat, stop inhaling and hold it until it doesn’t feel comfortable anymore.”
Luna nods and brings the device to her lips and inhales. She holds it for longer than I expect. But when she exhales, she’s in a coughing fit. Her one hand grips her knee while the other is balled in a fist as she coughs.
“You good?”
She coughs again and nods. “Yeah.”
We pass it back and forth a few more times. She continues to be a trooper, even though she coughs every time.
“Mmm, so you don’t like affection?” she asks, clearly feeling more confident after smoking and asking me questions.
“It’s not that I don’t like affection. I like it on my terms. When you don’t have bodily autonomy at some point, it can be hard to seek and give affection sometimes.”
She gasps. “Can I touch your arm?” she asks, and I smile and nod. She squeezes my forearm. “Is it okay if I just ask to touch you?”
“I’d like that.”
“And it won’t bother you if I’m affectionate with Ezra and Ian?”
“No, I’ll enjoy it. It will make them happy, which will make me happy.”
“But what do you want?” she asks.
“I’m honestly happy with how things are. But I think I could always be happier.”
She sighs and tilts her head into the dark sky. “Promise to just talk to me. I want to make you happy too, James.”
Luna nearly whispers my name, and the sound is so delicate and sweet coming from her lips.
“I promise. Let’s get you to bed.”
“Yeah,” she says sleepily. I stand first and hold my hand out to her.
When her hand touches mine, I can’t help it.
It feels different than Ezra or Ian’s touch.
I mean sure she’s half their size, and I’m sure that has something to do with it.
But there’s something else. I think it has to do with how genuine she seems about wanting to get to know me.
Any other Omega would be pushing me out and simply focusing on the Alphas in the pack.
But Luna is different. She’s sweet and thoughtful.
She’s the opposite of what I would consider my type, but maybe I’ve been wrong all this time.
She walks ahead of me up the stairs, and I admire her ass.
It will be nice to not be the smallest one in the pack anymore.
Our bedrooms are on the opposite sides of the hall, and she gives me a small smile as she walks down.
I notice that she doesn’t go to her room, though.
I keep my smile to myself, and I don’t know if it’s the weed, Luna’s words, or watching her sneak into Ian’s room, but I find myself slipping into Ezra’s bed.
When I tuck in under his sheets, he sighs and wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me against his chest. I have to push back my initial reaction of being touched but think about how much I love Ezra and how much he cares for me. I breathe deeply a few times and relax.
He kisses the side of my head, and we fall asleep like this.
It’s nicer than I imagined.