Chapter 21
MAEVE
“C Major,” Fang says.
I strum the guitar strings, pleased beyond belief that I have the correct fingerings down.
“D. E minor.”
My fingers sting, but I know the calluses are worth it.
I’m doing it.
I’m making music!
Avery had the best idea for a few reasons—one, the sweet sounds that come from the acoustic instrument are a balm to the wild thoughts in my brain that go off like fireworks.
Two, my guitar teacher is my talented scent match, who has a wonderful knot and knows how to use it.
We’re squished together on my couch in my apartment, each of us playing a guitar. I’m using one of Fang’s, who insists it’s mine now.
I’ll argue with him later about it. Once I saw the price tag of a well-made acoustic guitar, my jaw dropped.
He may think this beautiful instrument is mine—but I’m just borrowing it.
“A major.”
I strum and strum, acing each one.
“Damn, only two weeks of learning,” Ivan says from my kitchen. He’s with Logan, helping prep breakfast for the four of us before we all go to work. “Good job, babe.”
The Alphas insisted on breakfast—with Logan arguing that coffee is not enough to get through until lunch.
Apparently, hazelnut milk with said coffee isn’t enough.
“I need a new couch,” I grumble when Fang’s knee knocks into mine. “We’re always cramped in here.”
Logan looks up from the toast he’s buttering, a strange look on his face.
“Logan? What is it?” I ask, pausing my strumming.
“You know I have my packhouse,” he murmurs. “I mean, I…you know, if you wanted to…”
“Spit it out, man,” Fang says, amused.
“We could hang out there more,” he mutters to the toast, dragging the knife absentmindedly against the bread. “Or, maybe just stay there for a bit.”
“Logan, are you asking me to move in with you?” I do my best to keep the delighted grin from my face.
The four of us have hung out at his place once—and only after he spent half the day cleaning it, finding invisible stains that no one else could.
I finally met Trooper and Stella and fell in love with both of them.
Logan shrugs, his face turning bright red. “All of us could. Maybe as a trial.”
Ivan barks out a laugh. “You have a packhouse for a reason. I think it’s a great idea. Maybe we could spend some days there, some days at our own places until we’re all comfortable? What do you think, babe?” He looks at me pointedly while Fang squeezes my knee encouragingly.
They don’t have to ask me twice.
My inner Omega purrs in delight.
The four of us, living together?
It’s already hard to be away from any of them because of the scent match, and spending the night cramped in each other’s apartments isn’t the most comfortable.
“I bought a custom bed,” Logan adds, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s made a for a pack, similar to the one at the cabin. Since you liked it so much.”
Fang whistles.
“And there are beds in every other room, too. So, if we all just wanted—”
“Yes,” I interrupt him. “Yes, that’s a great idea.”
Logan’s small smile is worth it. He continues to butter the toast, which absolutely has to be ruined by now.
But I don’t mind—now, my pack will be sleeping with me every night.
The days they don’t, it’s been hard—Ivan usually stays at my apartment, but Logan and Fang still have errands they need to take care of.
Now, I would have to the privilege of staying with all three of them, along with Stella and Trooper.
“We could start slow,” Ivan adds. “Just start keeping some of our stuff at the packhouse, and slowly move in.”
“Are you kidding? Let’s go now!” I say. “What’s stopping us?”
Ivan looks at me pointedly. “I mean, we all have leases on our apartments,” he reminds me gently. “Also, isn’t Avery on yours?”
Fang stiffens next to me at the mention of my brother, and I open and close my mouth multiple times.
“Oops,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” Ivan mutters.
“I mean, if he’s going to be upset at anyone, it should be me,” Fang says with a low growl.
“No, he won’t be mad at anyone,” I protest. “He just might freak out and be a little protective at first, since…”
“Since I was your professor,” Fang finishes.
“Just for a day,” I gulp. “Besides, it’s not like you can help if a scent match happens.”
“It happened only after we went on the trip, though,” Ivan says, frowning.
“You haven’t told your brother?” Logan asks, surprised.
“Well, he knows about Ivan,” I stammer. “And you, kind of.”
Something like disappointment flickers in his eyes.
“Me, kind of,” he repeats softly, his face falling.
How did the conversation about moving in together suddenly get away from me?
Logan looks stricken, and I have the horrifying urge to backtrack.
“He’s the most important person in my life, besides the three of you,” I argue. “I was just finding the right time to tell him.”
Fang squeezes my shoulder, and Logan’s expression turns carefully neutral. “I understand,” he says, his blonde hair falling into his eyes while he plates breakfast.
Does he understand though? Or does he feel like an afterthought, or someone I’ve had to hide?
What if what if what if
“Hey,” Ivan says, noticing the tension in the room. “We’ll figure it out, alright? Sure, some of the circumstances are…interesting, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re in this together.”
Fang grumbles next to me. “Yeah, but if Avery has a problem with me…”
“He won’t,” I argue. “You guys are friends, right? He’ll understand. Look, can we just go back to talking about moving into the packhouse together?” My voice raises pitch at the end of my question.
I don’t want any conflict, especially when it’s between the people I care about the most.
Logan sighs. “You’re right,” he murmurs. “I apologize, Maeve. I know all of this is on your terms.”
Fang plants a kiss to my hair. “Yeah. I’m sorry, too. I was being an asshole.”
I shrug and feign a smile. “It’s fine. Really.”
“Communication is key,” Ivan adds. “This is new for all of us, so we need to figure it out together.”
Once again, I’m grateful for Ivan, who always knows what to say.
“Ivan, I’m pretty sure you’re the most emotionally intelligent person in the room,” Fang observes.
“Which is why Maeve loves me,” Ivan replies easily.
If anyone notices the way my eyes widen at the world love, they don’t comment on it.
It’s true.
I do love Ivan, and not just because he’s my scent match.
He’s my best friend.
I don’t know if I’m in love with Fang or Logan yet.
They’re my scent matches, and I belong with them, but falling in love is something else entirely for me.
But I love the idea of falling in love with them.
Fang begins to purr, and I close my eyes, soothing myself with his chest vibrations.
It almost completely distracts me from the memory of the Logan’s disappointed look.
There’s a child crying at the clinic.
My heart stops while I stand in the lobby, waiting to ask Ivan a question about different kitten milk replacers.
There’s a little boy weeping, his cries so loud and horrible that it makes me stand frozen in shock. The woman with him murmurs quietly to him, but it only makes him sob harder.
I’ve never seen a child weep like this, and it upsets me so much that tears spring into my own eyes.
Ramona leans over the counter and whispers to me, “his cat was throwing up, and he’s scared. It should be fine, though.”
“Oh.”
The cries are horrible. Heartbreaking sounds fill the lobby, and even Ramona is teary eyed watching the scene.
The door to the first exam room opens, Logan suddenly appears. He catches my eyes briefly, then kneels down to the child’s height.
I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I observe everything in his face.
The fondness in his eyes, the gentleness in his smile as he talks to the child.
He stays at eye level with the little boy and speaks quietly.
There’s so much in Logan’s expression, shining with empathy and vulnerability. He pats the little boy on the shoulder, then his face breaks out in a brilliant smile.
Logan’s smiles are rare, but they’ve become more frequent in the past few days.
And this particular smile that’s directed toward the little boy makes my own tears dry up.
My heart swells with fondness and affection, my mouth agape when the child throws his arms around Logan. The mother thanks him, and Ivan comes out of the same exam room with a cat carrier in his hands. The boy takes it from him and gives both Alphas a toothy grin.
“Wow,” Ramona says. “That was wholesome. Like something out of a movie.”
I sniffle and quickly wipe away the remaining tears on my cheeks. “Yeah,” I sputter.
“Aw,” she says. “You have such good men in your life, Maeve.”
“I do,” I whisper.
My inner Omega cries with me, moved at the gentleness of her Alpha.
After the boy and his mother leave, Ivan waves at me then motions to the exam room, closing the door behind him.
Logan comes up to me, his eyes soft.
“I have to go back, but since you were watching—the little boy was upset,” he tells me. “His cat was sick—”
I cut him off with a swift, chaste kiss. Someone in the room chuckles while Logan stays frozen, shocked at my movement.
Then, he kisses me back, and before it can get too inappropriate, I pull away and smirk.
“See you later,” I say. “Tell Ivan I’m looking for him.”
I practically skip out of the clinic, warmth blooming from my chest, still overwhelmed by what I witnessed from Logan.
I knew he was smart, shy, and kind—but he was a natural with the little boy, and it’s activated something wonderful in me.
I can’t wait to tell Piper and Blair, ready to open my mouth as I pull open the door to the rescue.
“So, guess who has the best scent matches in the world!” I blurt but freeze when I see who is at the front counter.
Piper gives me a sheepish smile, while Alvin sits on one of Travis’ crocheted blankets. Standing with both of them, his arms crossed and a stern, exhausted look on his face, is Avery.
“Hey,” I say to the three of them. “What’s…up?”
“I’m sorry, Maeve,” Piper says. “I tried not to tell him.”
Avery rubs his forehead and groans.