Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
Otillie-James
W hen Lance had said he wanted to bring around some VA buddies for a cookout, not going to lie, I went into panic mode. What if they hated me?
I knew most of Truett and Sonny’s friends. We’d either grown up together, or they’d come around for Thanksgiving or New Year’s parties.
What did I know about army guys? Nothing.
So I experienced what I liked to call an Omega frenzy. I cleaned the house until it sparkled, though Lance followed me around, cleaning as I cleaned. He didn’t question why we needed to rewash the windows and the floors. He didn’t ask why we were vacuuming in rooms they’d never go in. He just lifted things when I asked, scrubbed things when I scrubbed.
Sonny had finally gone back to work, and the days were kind of lonely without him. I didn’t like another one of my mates being gone all day, but that was just how the world worked, I guess. Being a firefighter was what made him happy, and he couldn’t just walk around adoring me all day. I wasn’t that high maintenance.
Though, right now, Lance might have argued my low-maintenance claims. The grocery store was quiet, thankfully, as the lunch rush started to die down. I put a sixth type of meat in the cart, along with some carrots.
Lance raised an eyebrow. “You do know we’re feeding two men, not the entire United States Army, right?”
“What if they don’t like steak?” I put veggie patties in the cart too. Just in case.
“Everyone likes steak,” he answered.
“Not vegetarians,” I shot back, and he sighed.
Wrapping a hand around my arm, he pulled me back until I was against his body. “They aren’t vegetarian, Angel. What’s really wrong?”
I sighed, wishing I knew. “What if they don’t think I’m good enough for you?”
There, right in the middle of the grocery store, the man I’d rarely seen smile before this week, broke out into near-hysterical giggles. He drew stares from people around us, laughing until his cheeks turned pink, his scars pulling tight.
Still chuckling, he hugged me to his chest. “Angel, no one in their right mind is going to think you aren’t good enough for me. They might think you’re too good for me, but not the other way around, I promise. You’re perfect in every way. A shiny beacon of goodness in a world that’s full of shitty things and people. The guys will love you.” He sighed against my hair. “I’m more worried they’ll try and steal you away. Or worse, join the Pack,” he mock-growled.
“No way. I’m at capacity for partners, I promise.” Kissing his cheek, I squared my shoulders and gripped the cart. “Come on, we better hurry this along.” I headed to the charcuterie section, where Lance shook his head at the bougie cheeses I grabbed.
“You know they made us eat mush in the military, right?”
I was in a light blue dress, and the night was warm. I’d done the animal bedtime routine a little early, so no one would be rushing off to do the night feeds, and we could just relax and be casual. Like normal people.
Truett had seemed a little put out about another Alpha coming onto what he considered his territory, which was making him a little grumpier. I kissed him—a lot—and eventually, he chilled out.
Strat came out to the farm too, and it was always nice to spend time with my Omega. Having him here calmed me, and I found myself leaning into him more and more throughout the night.
Sonny turned up to help me cook, and he looked so fucking sexy in his uniform, I almost undid all my hard work taming my hair to go upstairs and fuck him senseless.
Like the perfect house alarm he was, Doodles began barking like mad, and I went over, redirecting him to the treats I kept on the kitchen counter. “Thank you for the alert, buddy, but no more, okay?”
I had a feeling that Doodles would be a foster fail. He had way too many medical conditions for the average household, and despite being ugly-cute, he did not photograph well. He was old, which meant that if people did adopt him, they’d have him for a few years at most. None of that made him particularly adoptable. It was better that he stayed here, with me, where he could be loved forever.
Trying not to look as nervous as I felt, I breathed out a long sigh as Lance came over and wrapped an arm around my waist. “I love you. That’s all that matters. There’s nothing anyone could say that’d make me change my mind. You could be a crazy serial killer, and I might still love you anyway,” he murmured against my cheek.
I huffed a laugh. That was oddly reassuring.
Giving me one last kiss, he bounded out the door to meet his friends. Truett came up beside me, wrapping his fingers in mine. “Nervous OJ is kind of an anomaly, like seeing the Aurora Borealis from Queens or something.”
Nudging his arm with mine, I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t think I’d have this.”
“A cookout?”
“No, a Pack. I thought I’d meet a nice Unshown guy, bring him around on the holidays, and try to convince myself that you guys were shit and I wasn’t missing out on anything.”
Chuckling softly, he kissed me, tilting my chin up so I felt properly claimed. When he eventually drew back, my cheeks felt flushed. “We would’ve been the ones missing out. And we definitely would have run the guy off.” He didn’t even look remotely remorseful about chasing away my imaginary boyfriend. “Now let’s go and greet our guests, yeah?”
We stepped up to the front door just as Lance reappeared. The two men with him weren’t what I’d imagined. I’d thought they’d be huge and burly, but the one on the left looked about seventeen, tall but lithe, like he’d never quite grown into his body. The other guy was much more how I pictured a military Alpha: broad shoulders, close-cropped hair, and straight, dark brows that made his expression seem severe. He was still maybe an inch shorter than Lance.
But all three moved with the kind of grace that told me they’d been trained to walk quietly. Stealthy or dead.
I stepped forward, putting my hand out. “Hi, I’m Otillie-James. I’m excited to meet some of Lance’s friends.”
The Beta smelled like cookies, which matched with his completely innocuous appearance. He was the first one to take my hand. “Hi, I’m Max. Man, Lance didn’t tell us how pretty you are.” Lance glared, and the guy just grinned, clearly ribbing his friend.
The Alpha put out his hand, shaking mine delicately. “I’m Rio.”
I looked up into his eyes, and was immediately swamped by his sadness. I’d thought Lance was traumatized by his time in the military, but whatever had happened to this guy must’ve been bad. It was tingeing his scent, turning the edges of his citrus scent into something bitter. I couldn’t pinpoint how I knew that the darkness inside his soul was eating him alive, but I did.
My face softened, and I gave him a warm smile. “Hello, Rio. Welcome.” I drew my hand away as Truett introduced himself, then I waved them inside, through the house and out the back.
Lance caught me around the waist, and I looked up at my wounded Beta mate. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.
“He’s so sad, Lance.” It was breaking my heart.
He kissed the top of my head. “I know, Angel. But he’s healing. One day, he’ll get lucky, and his own angel will appear, but he isn’t ready for that yet.”
Nodding, I grabbed some appetizers, and Lance carried them outside. Sonny was already grilling, but he’d stopped to introduce himself and Strat to the newcomers. Strat was looking at them with what I liked to call his lawyer gaze, like he was trying to find weaknesses in their facade.
As Lance placed the food down in the middle of the large picnic table, the smell of food dragged over Doodles and Honkers, who stared up at us with big, sad eyes, like they were being starved. No one who ever saw the fat Lab would think he’d been starved a day in his life.
Kevin the Pig had his own stall down in the barn now, so at least that was one less creature watching us eat. He’d been pissed, but he could go out into the run and roll in the mud all day, and that made him happier.
“You fucking cocksucker, give me my money!”
I flushed as Rufio screamed at us through the newly converted screened porch. I’d turned it into an aviary with parrot-proof mesh, and the birds had all been much happier.
Our guests looked around, startled, and I winced. “Sorry, that’s one of the rescue parrots. He was found in a crack den.”
Laughing, Max walked over to the new aviary. “Holy shit, that’s the best thing ever. What kind of parrot?”
“Uh, an African Gray. He has quite the repertoire.”
As if he knew we were talking about him, Rufio went off on a tangent. “Who ate the last of the fucking Cheerios? Bitch, shut up. God, you’re a noisy fucker. Where’s my money? ”
By the end, Max was laughing so hard, he could hardly breathe. “We had parrots growing up. Mainly cockatoos and macaws, though. Never had an African Gray. And none with his conversational prowess.”
I perked up. “Oh, so you know how hard they are to care for, then?”
He nodded. “Yeah. They need a lot of enrichment. Especially the bigger parrots.”
I grinned, a plan forming as I led Max back to the picnic table. “Lance said you and Rio are Pack?” Opening the cooler, I offered him a drink. He took a Coke, not a beer. Thank goodness, because he didn’t look old enough to drink.
“We do. We have a house on the east side.”
I smiled widely. Perfect.
Truett chuckled beside us, his lips near my ear. “I know that look.”
Kicking him under the table, I continued to ask Max about his life, with Rio adding bits and pieces. By the time the meat was finished being grilled, I realized I knew only a little about Max and Rio, but had somehow told Max everything there was to know about me, from what my mom died of when I was six, to which mechanic I used.
I blinked, pulling back, and stared at the man in front of me. “Holy shit, you’re a spy. Or some sort of interrogator.” Whistling low, I shook my head. “You’re good . I’m glad you’re on our side.”
Lance just laughed, picking me up and setting me on his lap. He nuzzled into the back of my neck, and I relaxed against him.
“He’s really good, Lance,” I told him, like Max had just performed a magic trick.
“The best.”
We sat and ate, the guys reminiscing about boot camp, arguing about which branch had the worst basic training, food, missions, etc. Even Rio finally relaxed, and when Truett and Strat took the plates away, and Lance took Max over to look at the ATVs, it was just Sonny, Rio and I.
Rio looked at me appraisingly. “I was worried, you know.”
Sonny tensed slightly beside me, and I rubbed his thigh. “Why is that?”
Rio shrugged. “Lance told me you claimed him without his express permission.” I flushed. It was true, and I opened my mouth to apologize, but he lifted his hand to stop me. “But I also know that if you hadn’t, he never would’ve taken that step. He’s pretty self-sacrificing like that. I just wanted to make sure you guys weren’t using him as some kind of hired help. It happens to Betas a lot more than people think. Some people think that Betas aren’t quite as worthy as Alphas and Omegas.”
I shook my head vigorously. That wasn’t me.
But it was Sonny who came to my defense. “Even if Otillie-James put any credence in the designation system of society—which she doesn’t—she fell in love with Lance when she still thought she was Unshown and would never have a Pack. We all love and respect Lance for the man he is.”
Rio gave me a small smile. “I know that now. You truly love that surly bastard. Gives me hope that maybe one day an Omega…” He trailed off, like even saying the words would tempt the universe.
I reached over to squeeze his hand. “Definitely one day. When you’re ready.” I grinned at him. “But first, you need to take care of something else, before you can take care of an Omega. On that note, how do you feel about parrots?”