Chapter 12
Leylan
“What do you mean?” Evron asks, though I’m pretty sure we all know exactly what Juniper means.
Ever since her first pancake at mine and Lowie’s house, she’s been addicted. There isn’t any other food in the world, other than chips and pizza, that Juniper would ever go without. Knowing she doesn’t even remember the last time she had them? Something is very wrong there, and I’d bet my last dollar that I know exactly what that problem is.
Juno turns her back to us all, accepting the bottle of pancake mix from Geo before pouring a decent amount into the pan. As she does, she clears her throat, shrugs a shoulder, and says, “Don’t make it a big deal. Money has been tight since I was removed from the Henley Pack. I mean, money was tight before then, anyway, so it’s nothing new. It’s fine.”
I knew it. And based on my brother’s faces, they knew it, too, before she even had to utter a single word.
For her whole life, Juno has struggled financially. Knowing that struggle never abated in her absence is like a hot poker to my chest. She hasn’t had the money to buy things to make pancakes, to have the one luxury I know makes her pancake-loving heart happy.
Staring at her back, the way her tense shoulders raise higher, like she’s expecting an outburst at her admission, I vow there and then to make sure my girl gets pancakes every single morning, even if she grows sick and tired of them. An unlikely outcome, because I underestimated once how much she loved them, but still. Juniper will get her damned pancakes.
“What are you having on them today, Juju?” I wonder, taking control of the conversation before anyone has the chance to react to Juno’s confession.
I smile softly as I watch her shoulders drop, and she looks over at me with a grateful smile and a warmth in her features that I imprint the image onto my brain. “Chocolate chips and caramel.”
“Sounds good,” I offer, my smile turning shy the longer she looks at me. Pretty sure my cheeks warm, which is crazy, given what my brother and I did to her just a few short hours ago.
She turns back to her cooking, sneaking the spatula from Geo’s tight grip, flipping the perfectly cooked pancake while the rest of us fall silent. One look at my brother finds him quietly fuming, glaring at the marble countertop like he’s spit on his ancestors. Evron looks like someone just ran over his pet cat, while Geo looks ready to pummel his Hulk fists into the faces of anyone that breathes on him wrong. Other than the clenched fists, and tight jaw, Creek is the calmest of them all, rivaling only me. It’s taking everything inside me not to round the island and hug Juno until she softens into my chest, soothing the rage I can feel bubbling inside me at the thought of Juno not having everything she should have had in life.
“I can feel the tension in the room and it’s making me antsy,” Juno sighs, flipping another pancake before stacking it on a clean plate on the counter. “Please, don’t make it a big deal. I got by well enough, never went starving, had a roof over my head. So what I didn’t have enough cash at the end of the month for pancakes? It could have—”
“If you say it could have been worse, I’m going to come over there and spank your ass raw,” Lowie damn near growls, and my eyes widen as I turn an incredulous look at him .
“What the fuck, bro?” I whisper, eyeing him like he’s a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Not that he notices, matching eyes to mine staring a hole into Juno’s back.
Surprisingly, our girl snorts, peering over her shoulder at my twin before she says, “Bold of you to assume that’s something I’m not into. No good using it as a form of punishment if I’ll get something out of it.”
Fuck. Me.
Did it just get hot in here? Why is it so hard to swallow all of a sudden?
Lowie’s lips suddenly twitch, a smile almost breaking out, a smile only Juno could even pull out of him. But then it disappears just as fast and he warns, “Don’t make statements like that unless you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is, Angel. I’m more than willing to prove a point.”
The look he sends her says more than words, and I can’t help but spectate with fascination as Juno shivers and turns back to her pancake making, but not before I miss the pretty blush that stains her cheeks and scent the deliciously sweet aroma that comes pooling from her in waves of mouthwatering pineapple, coconut, and vanilla. And then she fans herself with her shirt and a drop of concern floats through the fascination, because if she has a heat spike so soon after the first, then there’s no doubt that she’ll end up in heat before the end of the week.
At least, that’s what every website I searched through claimed.
Subtly, I inhale deeply, relaxing the moment I smell only the slightest bit over the normal amount of sugary sweetness. No heat spike, just simple arousal that has my lips twitching, my hand wiping over my face to be rid of it before Juno can see it.
But then I’m wincing when she clears her throat, flips another pancake to perfection, and notes, “Based on the lack of reaction, I’ll bet a spanking that Lowie and Leylan have already shared what happened. ”
Geo sends us a wide, panicked look as he slides the full plate of pancakes on the island, Creek winces with me, and Lowie shrugs his shoulder like it’s no big deal. And, in our defense, it isn’t. Because each of us has every intention of forming a pack around the little omega currently wielding a spatula like a pro, and that means making her ours in every way. To do that, one needs open communication. Might as well start now, right?
Evron, though? That man laughs before sidling up behind Juno, wrapping his arms around her waist and dropping his chin on her shoulder, much like my entire body is yearning to do. He cuddles right into her, a purr starting up from his chest that comes as easily as it did yesterday, and he mutters, “Of course, they shared, Blue. We don’t keep secrets, remember? Plus, it’s not like any of us missed the fucking smell coming from the living room.”
He kisses her bare neck before nuzzling her, and then I’m face-palming myself when the dumbass teases, “Pretty sure I’ve been hard since hearing the first moan and smelling that first lick of sugar. Couldn’t have hidden it even if they tried.”
“Oh my god,” Juno groans, right before she starts laughing, a completely different reaction to what I would have bet on. But I like it. The way her body relaxes against Ev, how she gives him an amused grin, how she doesn’t shy away from the conversation. If I weren’t mistaken, I’d say that Juno is already on the same page as we are, all without having to even have a conversation about it.
“Ooo, I like that title. You can call me God if you want, sweetheart,” Evron jokes, blowing raspberries on her neck and making our omega snort before shoving his face away. Then she goes about making pancakes again, like no time has passed, like we’re already in the throes of normalcy within a well-established pack, like she already knows she’s ours and we’re hers.
How right she is to feel that way, too. Because one thing for certain is that Juno belongs with us, and we, her. There’s been no one for any of us since she left, all of us saving ourselves for her and only her, and there won’t be anyone but her from this day on. That we all agreed on long before Juniper disappeared.
“So, I guess we should have this big conversation,” Juno declares without preamble, shoulders relaxed, energy calm and at ease. It’s nice, very different from how she showed up. “Where do you want to start?”
“You’re ours,” Lowie begins, looking us all over.
I smile, nodding with approval, and I catch Juno turning her head enough to watch us all agree. Her lips twitch, but she says nothing on the contrary, turning back to her pancakes. It takes me a moment to realize there’s already four plates filled with pancakes, enough to feed four growing guys.
“And we’re yours, Firecracker,” Geo adds, kissing her temple, even while Evron continues to cling to her, shirtless and swaying to a tune only he can hear. I’ve never been more envious, never wanted to trade places with someone more.
“But what do you want, J?” Creek asks, eyes for Juno only. It’s only then that she freezes, spatula hovering just above the pancake, before she starts moving again. She doesn’t answer straight away, long enough to make me nervous, so Creek inserts, “We want you, beautiful. It’s always been you, even when you were gone. I can speak for us all when I say there is so one in the world we want more as a part of our pack, our family, than you. But we need to know what you want, if this is what you want, too. If we’re what you want.”
When Juno remains silent, Evron kisses her neck and releases her, taking a plate of pancakes and sitting at the table with us. He looks as tense as I feel, and I worry at my lip while I wait for an answer that could make or break us. An answer that is all Juniper’s to make.
We all wait in silence, bated breaths and pounding hearts, allowing Juno to finish her pancakes. By the time she’s done, there are six plates filled with chocolate-chip pancakes and an array of sauces, sugar, syrup, and fruit on the table. It’s just like it used to be when we were all kids, eating breakfast after camping outside after a night of watching Juno stargazing. Whispering her wishes to every flickering twinkle in the night sky.
Instead of taking a seat around the island with us, Juno stands and looks over each of us carefully. Her pretty, pale-blue eyes are soft as she eyes us, her full lips twitching with a fond smile, the first look I’ve seen on her that reminds me of the old Juniper. Not that the new Juno is a lesser version. In fact, this version of her is like an advanced version of the old, one that has the blood pumping through my veins at a rapid pace. It has my chest tightening while my heart pounds a rapid rhythm beneath my ribcage. It has my brain calming like it used to, but my body coming alive with new sensations, new feelings, a whole new energy, almost like the innocence of childhood friends has morphed into something bigger, something more. And I love it. I love every bit of it.
Juniper sighs softly, tearing my attention away from my thoughts, and a slow but steady smile appears on her beautiful face, and she ruins me in the best way possible when she says, “I already told Lowie, but I’ll tell you all while you’re together. You guys have always been, and will always be, endgame for me. You’re all it for me. You were my family long before I disappeared from your lives, my safe place, the only thing in the world that I was sure of. If there was ever a pack I wanted to belong to, to belong in, it would be one that included all five of you. That never wavered while I was gone, and it will never disappear so long as I’m walking this earth. Didn’t take me long to realize, either. I was just scared you’d all be too angry to want me back, or maybe wouldn’t even remember me after eight years. But after last night? I can safely say that I’ve never felt more comfortable, at ease, or more at home in all of the eight years that have passed than I did the moment I saw you all again. And I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want all of you.”
Then she shrugs her shoulders like she’s simply stated the weather forecast for the entire week, and I can’t help but laugh loudly before scrambling from my seat. While the others stare in absolute shock at our omega—well, all but Lowie, who is already aware of how she feels. I’m rounding the island and damn near tackling her in my overzealous excitement to feel her against me.
My arms are around her, she’s up in the air before her legs hug my waist, and I’m burrowing my face into her neck in less time than it takes her to inhale deeply. The heat of her body seeps into mine as I hug her so tightly to me that I don’t know where I start and she ends, and her vibrant laughter is music to my ears.
“You have no idea how happy you just made me, Juju,” I whisper to her, my lips brushing smooth, heated skin as I speak into her neck. Just feeling her against me, feeling her close, and warm, and real, has a purr rattling my chest.
I feel more than I hear Juniper sigh, her arms wrapping around me, one hand sinking into my hair as she holds me close. Then she quietly confesses, “Not as happy as you’ve all made me.”
I can only hug her tighter, right before I pull back and smile an awkwardly shy smile at her when I realize the position I’ve manhandled her into. Not that she seems to mind, her arms hanging on my shoulders when she pulls back, her faith in me holding her upright and against me surpassing any kind of trust I would have hoped for from her so early on.
Cupping the back of her head, I give up on fighting my instincts, and I tug her head gently towards mine with the hand that isn’t holding her to me. She lets me lead, allowing me to draw her so close that her lips brush mine, and then she’s kissing me softly. It’s a complete contradiction to the fevered kissing that happened last night, but no less heart stopping, the wet warmth of her lips on mine clearing my mind of anything but her.
I have no idea how long I have her lips on mine, only that the kiss ends much too soon when Evron clears his throat and blurts, “Quit hogging our omega, asshole. I want cuddles and kisses, too.”
Juno laughs against my mouth, but she pulls away and smiles sweetly at me. I smile back, keeping her against me, and she makes no move to slide from my hold. She does, however, turn to look over at Evron. She raises her eyebrow and mutters, “Still so needy.”
“Damn straight, Blue. Even more so now that you’re sticking around,” he volleys easily, snatching her right from my arms like a selfish asshole.
She’s sitting on the island counter with him standing between her legs before I can even blink, his hands framing her face as he kisses her stupid. I can’t help but smile, knowing that after years of envisioning mornings like this, it’s finally happening. Juno is here, with us, exactly where she should be. There’s no better feeling in the world. Only one could trump that, but I’m pretty sure it’s a little too soon to bring up the very mention of a bond. Not that I don’t plan on offering one as soon as I think Juno is ready, because there’s no doubt in my mind that I want that one unbreakable thing between us that will connect us until we’re long gone from this world.
“Best,” Ev mutters, pulling back from kissing Juno only briefly, right before pressing his lips against hers again. “Day.” Another kiss. “Ever.”
Juniper laughs against his mouth, her arms falling over his shoulders, one of her hands sinking into Ev’s hair in order to keep him where he is.
“Now who’s hogging our girl?” Geo butts in, shoving Evron out of the way before replacing him between Juniper’s thighs. Then the big, burly bastard picks her up and maneuvers her until she’s sitting on his hip, her lean legs wrapped around his waist.
“Oh, great,” Juno mutters, her one arm banding around Geo’s thick shoulders, not a single reaction when Geo cups her ass to keep her in place. Not that I’d expect any other reaction, since Juno has always been touchy-feely with us all. Ever since that very first hug Lowie gave her when we found her sitting alone in elementary school, she’s always been one for affection, easily accepting it and willingly offering. “So, I’m to be carried around like a purse for the remainder of the day?”
Geo grins at her, right before he grabs a plate of pancakes, snags the syrup, and ditches us all without so much as a backward glance. The rest of us share a look before we’re scrambling to gather our own plates, following quickly after the pair like a pack of idiots. Lowie even rolls his eyes when he realizes how fast he’s moved from his seat, but the sneaky bastard ends up on the right side of Geo, where he has Juniper sitting in his lap with her plate of pancakes, his own balanced on her knee.
Creek steals the spot on the left, and Evron wastes no time sitting on the floor, leaning his back against Geo’s legs as everyone settles in to eat breakfast as the family we were, always have been.
Taking a seat beside my brother, balancing my breakfast on my lap, I look over at Juno and find her already eating. Her eyes flutter closed and a soft moan slips past her lips with every bite she takes of her fluffy, chocolate-chip-infused pancakes. We all ignore the sounds, I’m sure for the same reasons. It would be our rotten luck to make things weird just as we finally have Juniper back, so I send my twin a look that he sends right back, before smiling and sinking into the couch while Evron decides on something to watch while we eat.
And that’s how we spend the day: eating, watching movies, talking about old times, good times, and everything in between. It takes some time before Juno finally relaxes enough to start joking around with us all, teasing and ribbing like we used to. By the time late afternoon comes, it’s like no time has passed at all between us and Juno, and I’m grinning the most I ever have since she left while I watch her shoulders relax and her mouth runs with every thought she has.
“Oh, shut up. You absolutely cheated, Evron, and you can’t convince me otherwise,” Juno laughs, sprawled out on the couch with Ev’s head on her stomach and her hand in his hair, her legs clutched in Geo’s hold while she relaxes around us like she’s always done so. In fact, I’ve only ever known Juniper to relax around us to the fullest extent, something I’ve missed something chronic.
Evron looks affronted, wrongfully so, because we all know the dick tries to cheat at every bet he makes. “I’m hurt, Blue. Positively wounded. How dare you accuse me—”
“You cheated, didn’t you?” Creek snickers as he sits on the floor, tucked in the corner closest to Juno.
“Oh, one hundred percent,” Evron answers instantly, and we all laugh as he throws his hands in the air and grins at us all. “What do you expect? The bet was to win five games of Mario Kart. We all know she’s a pro at that stupid game, and there was no way I was going to win. And Hell would have frozen over first before I donned a maid outfit and streaked through the school halls after losing.”
Juno snorts, a fond smile softening her features. “I was going to let you win, you idiot. You didn’t have to cheat by bribing Geo to tickle me. My loss was more of a reward, anyway.”
Lowie gives her a funny look. “How is sitting on a whoopie cushion in Mr. Franco’s class considered a reward?”
“Kept people away from me,” she shrugs, grinning wickedly when we all laugh, Lowie included.
“Not to mention the creative nickname you were blessed with from that day on,” I remind everyone, and Juno groans, dropping her head into the cushions. I don’t even hesitate to put a voice to the nickname we all haven’t heard in years. “Poono.”
Silence stretches between us all for all of three seconds before we’re all laughing, Juniper’s groans and snickers. “Not Poono. That name haunted me for years.”
“Best nickname I’ve ever heard,” Geo admits, grinning over at our happy little omega, and I thoroughly enjoy the smile she returns.
“Whatever,” Juno grumbles playfully, lips twitching with a suppressed smile. “Let us never mention that godawful nickname ever again, hm?”
“But it’s—” Evron starts, turning to look up at Juno with wide, falsely innocent eyes.
“Never again,” she interrupts, raising an eyebrow at him, a no nonsense look on her face that has me hiding my smile .
Ev holds his hands up in surrender, but I see the mischief in his eyes that tells me this isn’t over, not by a long shot. I don’t bother mentioning it, though, because I’m certain Juno sees it, too.
Instead, she sighs and asks, “What time is it, anyway?”
“Almost four in the afternoon,” I answer quickly, because apparently, I’ve been clock watching, internally dreading the moment when she has to leave.
Juniper groans, scratching Evron’s head as she says, “I have to leave. I have my first shift at the diner tonight.”
“At Gabby’s?” Lowie wonders mildly, looking over at Juno only to catch her nod, before he says, “I’ll stop by later.”
I look over at my brother and raise an eyebrow. Pretty sure I’m not the only one, because he rolls his eyes and goes about ignoring us all, picking up his cell to start texting. When he becomes engrossed in whatever the hell he’s doing, my eyes go right back to Juno and she raises an eyebrow to me in question.
Shrugging, since I don’t actually know what’s going on with my brother or what has him so distracted, and ask her, “Do you need a ride home?”
“I drove here, but thank you,” she tells me softly, right before patting Ev’s shoulder. “As much as I enjoy being your personal pillow, I really do have to go. I need this job, and Gabby seems to actually like me. That doesn’t happen often, so I have to make a good impression.”
I don’t like the feeling in my stomach knowing that Juno had to get a job the first moment she got here, knowing she’s worried about money, enough that she accepted the first job she found. I only keep my mouth shut because I know Gabby, know she’s one of the good ones and will look out for Juju. But, more importantly, that’s not an argument I’ll win right now. I’ve known Juno long enough, know she has a stubborn streak a mile wide that has probably grown ten times the size of that in our time apart. I don’t doubt I’ll have to ease Juniper into accepting all we’re willing to offer, especially after she spent the last eight years fending for herself.
But I’m not a quitter, and I’ll be damned if Juno struggles another day in her life.