Chapter 36 Hale
THIRTY-SIX
Hale
“What do you think he said to her?” Calder strains to get a better look out of the window, but the angle makes it difficult to see.
“Give her some privacy, Calder.” Ezra flops onto the sofa, but he doesn’t recline and sprawl out like he usually does, hinting that he’s on edge too. “Kady is strong. She broke an alpha’s nose at a bar, remember?”
“What if he’s going to return with the cops and drag her back to New York?” Calder’s thoughts jumble out. “That’s what he wants, right? To control every aspect of her life? Maybe he’ll throw us in jail again and force her to walk down the aisle.”
“Could he really do that?” The color drains from Riven’s face.
“Ignore him, Riven,” Ezra rumbles. “Calder’s just being a drama queen, as usual.”
“A drama queen?” Calder’s nostrils flare. “Since when do you care about Kady anyway? You’ve been avoiding her from the moment we arrived. And I thought you didn’t even want an omega. What changed?
Ezra’s jaw tenses. “I guess I had a change of heart.”
“We need to be there for Kady, not fighting between ourselves.” I step between them, touching Riven’s shoulder in reassurance. Not only is he pale, but the way he’s wringing his hands makes it clear that he’s anxious. “Kady knows what she wants.”
And that’s us, right?
Her words are still echoing through my head. “They are my scent matches.”
We still have a lot to work and talk through, but her admission feels like we’re halfway there. Every word I said was true, and after seeing how her father speaks to her, I understand more than ever the importance of making sure she always feels like she has her own autonomy and freedom.
After pacing for a few minutes, Kady steps back inside.
“He’s on his way back to New York. I’m sorry for,” she grimaces, “him showing up like that.”
“At least there were no cops this time,” Calder grumbles.
“You’re his daughter.” I try to assuage her guilt while glaring at Calder to shut up. “He’s protective.”
“That’s one word for it.” She smiles meekly. “But the wedding’s off. Again.”
Ezra chuckles. “Poor Timothy Oakwood.”
“Trust me, the last thing you need is to feel sympathy for that asshole,” Kady scoffs.
“How did you leave things?” I ask gently.
“Okay. I think.” She sighs. “He wants us all to meet him for dinner in New York, so I guess that means he’s okay with whatever this is.”
“Do you want to talk about what ‘this’ is?” I question.
She motions to the kitchen. “Maybe over coffee?”
“Coffee sounds good.” Ezra jumps up to prepare some.
When we join him in the kitchen, there’s a brewed pot waiting, Kady’s mug already poured and steaming. After ignoring her for most of the weekend, it appears he wants to make up for lost time.
Riven retrieves the box filled with blueberry muffins that Mom insisted we bring home. Although the three of us have already eaten, Kady and Ezra may want some. And there’s always room for more where muffins are concerned.
We eat in silence around the island. I’m no mind reader, but if the others feel anything like I do, none of us know quite where to start. Luckily, Kady eventually speaks.
“I should probably address what I said outside.” Her tone is business-like and to the point, even her posture changes–shoulders pinned back, hands clasped in front of her, wearing an unreadable expression.
She must have learned to communicate like this from her father.
This Kady is totally different from the carefree, mud-splattered woman at my parents’ farm or the one who snorted when she laughed.
“Although I acknowledge that we’re scent matches, bonding is not something I’d planned on. ”
“I meant everything I said outside.” I hope she can feel my earnestness. “And I know I speak for the entire pack when I say that whatever happens next is up to you. Bonding is your choice.”
“What if I never want to bond?” Her voice wavers, and her shoulders slump like her body is caving in on itself. “I know the need to bond for alphas is strong. It’s a biological drive.”
“You’re our omega, Kady.” I reach over, placing my hand on top of hers. “Bonded or not, it doesn’t matter to us.”
She looks at the others. “Do you all feel that way too?”
“Obviously, I’d love to make sure every other alpha knows that you’re mine.” Calder grins mischievously. “But Hale’s right. You’re who we want. Bonding doesn’t change that.”
“Riven?” she prompts. “What do you think?”
“I never even thought I’d find an omega who wants me.” Riven looks down at his lap. “I’m just grateful you want to give me—us—a chance.”
My chest tightens. I had no idea he felt that way. I always assumed he was too intensely focused on his interests to even think about a relationship. The fact that he thought he was unlovable hits me like a ton of bricks. How did I miss that?
“You already know my views on bonding,” Ezra chimes in. “I don’t know if it’s something I’ll ever want. But what I do know is that I can’t fight my connection to you. Not anymore.”
“I understand how you feel about not wanting to be tied down, Ezra.” She pulls her hand back, picking at a fingernail. “But I don’t think I can handle seeing you with someone else.”
Ezra almost falls off his stool. “Someone else?”
“I know you’re not a one woman kind of alpha. You said that to me yourself,” she continues. “I saw you with another woman in Marco’s, remember?”
“Her? We were having a meeting about me buying seeds for the SVU greenhouse.” Ezra’s standoffish nature seems to have fallen away. “Since that night at the bar, there hasn’t been anyone else, Kady.”
“Really?” Her head quickly lifts, looking at him. “What about your rule not to sleep with the same woman twice?”
“I think we already broke that one, don’t you?” Ezra chuckles. “It seems like you’ve broken me.”
“Or fixed you.” Riven grabs a napkin, wiping crumbs from his fingers.
“And you’re really all okay with this, just seeing how things go.” She doesn’t phrase it like a question, seeming to be speaking more to herself than to us.
“As long as you’re happy, so are we.” I cup her cheek, wanting her to look into my eyes so she knows I’m speaking the truth. “I don’t know about the other alphas you’ve come across, but we’d never make you drop out of school or do anything you don’t want to. That’s some seriously messed up shit.”
Her expression darkens. “You didn’t meet some of the packs my father made me date over the summer.”
Jealousy gnaws at my stomach at just the thought of her dating anyone else.
“You don’t have to compromise on anything for us,” I promise her. “We’re a team. That’s what being part of a pack is all about.”
“Besides, if you dropped out of school, who else would make Calder’s ass miserable at the paper?” Ezra teases.
Calder nudges him playfully. “Asshole.”
“I guess I can try to keep Calder in check.” Kady smirks. “But it won’t be easy with his massive ego.”
“You can try.” Calder winks at her. “As long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.”
At his wicked smile, her perfume blooms, a sign of how good their night together was. Calder needs someone to challenge him, and she definitely seems up for the task.
Now that we’ve had that conversation, the atmosphere shifts, like the heavy cloud of dread that was hanging over us has blown away. Everyone seems lighter—Calder slurping his coffee and Riven humming while eating his muffin.
“My housemates will freak out when I tell them what’s happened this weekend.” Kady presses her palms to her cheeks. “This was supposed to be casual.”
“It was never casual for us.” My heart feels so full, no longer afraid of scaring her off by telling her how I really feel. “Not when it comes to you.”
She smiles shyly then groans as she glances at the clock on the wall. “We probably should hit the road soon, right? I’m sure Ezra has classes to prepare for.”
“Don’t remind me.” He winces, a pained expression contorting his features. “Though I probably should tell Dean Rivers about us courting before I resume teaching.”
I slap the table before standing. “I guess we better pack, then.”
I hum to myself, my heart soaring. We’ll be returning to Forestville with our omega.