Chapter 14
14
Hazel
A lazy day spent with my pack was exactly what I needed. Thankfully some of the minimal furniture that Calla and Elizabeth had arranged for the house included a massive sectional in the family room with a TV. Once Rhett logged into a streaming service, we pushed the adjustable pieces of furniture together to make a massive pit that rivaled my nest for coziness.
Rhett brought his computer over so I could start picking out new pieces to decorate the house. While I was a little hesitant at first, my omega nesting instincts kicked in and it wasn’t long before I tugged the laptop from Rhett to settle it on my lap, displacing a grumpy Kellan’s head so I could keep favoriting different things. In the background was a survival competition reality show the guys were half watching between napping and refreshing our tray of snacks and drinks.
As I scanned rows of digital fabric squares, I sighed heavily, which was the absolute wrong thing to do when my pack was on the lookout for any signs of distress.
Crew sat up. “What’s wrong, baby?”
Jude’s head lolled to face me from where it rested in Rhett’s thighs. “Need more to drink?” He reached for the massive cup with a lid and straw at my side.
“Want to watch something else?” Kellan suggested.
“How am I supposed to know if I like these colors without feeling them?” I blurted out, a small, frustrated growl building in my chest. I waved a hand at the screen. “What if the pink is itchy? Or the blue is starchy?”
“Is she asking about the texture of colors?” Kellan stage-whispered to Crew.
I glared at him. “I can’t exactly pick out things for our house without touching them.”
“Then let’s go touch them,” Rhett soothed, stroking my hair. “We can visit a few shops.”
I brightened and looked around. “Now?”
Rhett chuckled. “It’s barely late afternoon, dove. We can visit a few stores and then grab dinner if you like.”
“I like,” I chirped, bobbing my head with bubbling energy as I started to imagine visiting an actual store. I glanced down at my pair of borrowed sweats—Crew’s—and borrowed shirt—Jude’s. Somehow I didn’t think homeless chic had made its debut into fashion in the years I’d been missing.
“I can’t wear this,” I frowned. The bag the guys had packed for me hadn’t had much beyond a change of clothes and a pair of underwear.
Yes, a single pair of underwear that had pretty much been ruined by my slick the night before. They were currently sitting in the laundry pile.
Jude grinned. “I like you in our clothes.”
Crew made a growly sound and buried his face in the side of my neck, his stubble tickling. “Me, too.”
Laughing, I tried to squirm away. “I’m serious.”
Sighing, like I was seriously putting him out, Crew checked his watch. “Calla asked earlier if she could come over after her test. She’s probably home by now. I’m sure she’d bring you some clothes.”
Rhett’s fingers dragged up my thigh. “We can buy you more clothes when we go out.”
“Deal,” I agreed, and watched as Crew texted his sister. His phone chirped with an incoming message within seconds.
“She’ll be over in a few minutes,” Crew told me.
I leaned in and pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek before handing Rhett his laptop. Then I crawled to the foot of the couch cube we’d created, nearly making it to the edge before Kellan’s arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me into him.
“Kell,” I complained while fighting a grin. “I need to pee.”
“I’m not stopping you,” Kellan retorted, licking and kissing up the side of my neck.
“Ew, gross,” I squealed, tugging free. I did an awkward roll and landed on my knees on the floor before pointing a finger at Kellan. “I draw the line at golden showers. Hard no.”
“What if you’re stung by a jellyfish?” Jude wondered.
Rhett rolled his eyes and tapped Jude’s nose. “That’s an urban myth, Jude.”
“If I get stung by a jellyfish, then we’ll talk about it, but I’m still thinking it’ll be a no,” I quipped as I stood.
“Babe, there’s no time to discuss peeing on your leg when you’re hopping around in pain,” Jude cracked, a mischievous glint in his emerald eyes. “These are the heavy conversations we should have now as a pack.”
I stared at him even as Crew shook his head and muttered, “I think our beta has taken too many hits to the head.”
Jude’s grin spread, and I knew where his mind went before he even spoke, his gaze turning adoringly up at Rhett. “I love when my head gets hit.”
Rhett snorted. “You’re incorrigible, pup.” He brushed his fingers through Jude’s dark hair.
Kellan shot up and lunged forward, slapping Jude’s crotch before anyone could react. Jude shouted and twisted away, cradling his junk.
“Thought you liked that, bro,” Kellan said, the picture of innocence.
“Fucking dick,” Jude wheezed, flipping Kellan off.
Rhett frowned. “Was that necessary?”
“Please,” Kellan scoffed. “Dude has enough hardware in his dick that it should be bulletproof.”
I made a humming sound and came around to stand behind Kellan. His hair was long and loose, the golden waves glossy in a way that would’ve made most omegas jealous. I gripped the strands and wound them around my first before tugging. “No hurting my beta.”
Kellan’s dark eyes glimmered. “Yes, ma’am.”
I let him go and shook my head. “At some point I plan on having kids with all of you, so let’s make sure all the appropriate bits and pieces work as they’re supposed to, okay?”
It was like my words vacuumed all the air from the room. The vibe went from playful to predatory as all four male sets of eyes stared at me with varying shades of hunger and lust.
“What?” I asked, taking a step back under the weight of their stares.
Crew licked his lips. “The thought of you, round and pregnant, with our child? Fuck, baby. You have no idea how much we want that.”
Warmth spread through my body, and I knew my cheeks had to be crimson. “I, uh…”
“Go to the bathroom, sugar,” Kellan reminded me, giving me a much needed excuse to scurry from the room.
I ducked my head and went down the hall to the half bath nearest the family room. Closing the door, I leaned against the wood and stared at my flushed cheeks in the mirror. My hazel eyes were bright, more green than gold right now. And I was smiling.
It felt like ages since I’d last been this buoyant with hope and happiness. And maybe it would end—if my track record was any indication, extended joy likely wasn’t in the cards until all my demons had been laid to rest and my pack claimed me as their omega—but in that moment, I held onto the lightness that lifted my soul.
After finishing in the bathroom, I came back to the family room to see Calla already waiting for me. Relief flashed across her face before she shoved the duffel bag at Crew and ran to hug me.
“You’re okay? Tell me you’re okay,” she demanded through sobs.
Tears filled my eyes as we rocked side to side. “I’m okay. Are you?”
She nodded and pulled away to look me in the eye. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
A watery smile pulled at my lips. “You really think these guys would let that happen?” I glanced over her shoulder at my pack.
“Not a chance,” Crew growled. He stood behind his sister, legs spread wide and arms crossed over his massive chest. Rhett and Jude were still on the couch, but Kellan was standing now, too. His dark eyes serious as he nodded in agreement to Crew’s statement.
“Why don’t you come upstairs while I change?” I suggested to Calla, linking our fingers together. “The guys are taking me out to look at furniture and stuff for the house.”
“Yeah,” Calla agreed with a quick smile that flashed the dimple on her left cheek.
I went to grab the bag from Crew, but he tugged me into him for a lingering kiss until Calla groaned.
“Seriously, can you guys not do that when I’m here?” Calla complained.
Giggling, I stepped back. “Sorry.”
“No, we’re not,” Crew retorted with a smirk.
Calla grimaced and spun away with a swish of her long blonde hair.
Still laughing, I followed her through the house and to the second floor. But instead of heading toward the nest, I veered toward my old bedroom. There was nothing in the room now, and the walls had been repainted a soft dove gray that soothed me.
Calla sighed and twirled around in the middle of the room. “It’s so weird being here and everything being gone.”
“Yeah,” I agreed while setting the bag down and crouching to dig through it for an acceptable outfit. Calla was a few inches shorter than me, but the leggings she’d provided were stretchy enough to work. I stripped out of my clothes and started changing.
Like I’d expected, the bottoms worked but the bra and shirt were tight, stretching across my ample chest that was easily a cup size bigger than Calla’s. Between my boobs spilling out of the bra and the decent amount of skin showing on my stomach due to our height difference, I looked like I was gearing up for a shift at Hooters.
Calla burst out laughing as I pulled at the bottom of the shirt, trying to stretch it. “Sorry, Haze.”
I shrugged, trying to mask my discomfort. “It’s fine. I’ll grab some stuff when we’re out tonight.”
Calla studied me. “You seem happy.”
“I am,” I answered honestly. I cocked my head and studied my best friend. Noticed the circles under her eyes that concealer didn’t quite mask and the dimness in her normally bright blue eyes. “Cal, what's wrong?”
She stiffened and then forced a smile. “Just tired. It’s been a long few days.”
“Yeah, it has, but something isn’t right,” I went on, shaking my head slowly.
She sighed and tipped her head back. “Fine. I think I failed my test today. And since my grade was already hovering in the D-minus range, odds are I’ll be retaking this stupid econ class I need to graduate. And failing that class means I won’t graduate on time.”
My eyes slid shut. “I’m so sorry. Maybe your professor will let you retake it? I mean, so much has happened?—”
She scoffed. “Even if my professor let me retake it, I just…”
“Just what?” I pressed as gently as possible.
Calla’s blue eyes were glassy as she looked at me and shrugged. “I’m barely passing my classes, Hazel. I hate school.”
“Then why did you go?” I gaped at her. “Cal, your plan was always to find a pack and have a family and there’s nothing wrong with that. I get that Pack Capshaw wasn’t the right pack, but there are others.”
She folded her arms protectively across her middle. “I wanted to prove that I could do it. That I wasn’t a stupid, spoiled princess like everyone thinks.”
“Honey, you need to tell me who thinks that, because I’m going to fuck all their shit up,” I snapped. “Academics aren’t the only metric to measure the worth of a person. What about kindness? Compassion? Creativity? Because you have those things in spades.”
She shot me a pleading look. “Right, because I’m an omega.”
“No, because you’re a good person,” I shot back. “Because being kind and caring is as much a part of you as your blue eyes or your dimple. And there is no one on the planet who ever has the right to make you feel like that’s not enough. Because it’s more than enough, Calla. Being a good person is everything .”
I’d moved closer to her as I spoke, and by the end, my hands gripped her shoulders as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. I yanked her into my arms. “Stop trying to be anyone but yourself. There’s only one you, and that’s enough. You are enough.”
She pressed her face to the side of my neck. “I’ve really missed you, Haze.”
My arms tightened around her. “I missed you, too, Cal. I’m not going anywhere again.”
“Promise?” She sniffled and blinked back tears as she looked at me.
I held up my pinky—the ultimate best friend promise—and waited until her little finger hooked around mine. “I promise.”