Chapter 26
Flora
Ihadn’t slept that well in months.
Curled up with Bear, my face pressed against his chest, that pumpkin bread scent had worked its magic like a sleeping drug. A few minutes of snuggles, and I was lights out. I didn't wake up once.
I had hightailed it back to my room, wanting to avoid awkward conversations, especially if any of the others noticed I had spent the night in his room. As I rummaged through the few items that had survived the ransacking of my apartment, I couldn't help but notice how well rested I felt.
My eyes were no longer swimming with exhaustion. My head wasn’t pounding anymore. All that tension and anxiety had just leeched away during my amazing, deep slumber. It was the kind of sleep where you woke up relaxed but also sore, having stayed in one position for so long.
Thankfully, one of my university T-shirts had survived the attack on my apartment. So I paired it with yoga pants from the night before.
I needed to figure out my clothing situation sooner rather than later. It seemed that very few things had been salvageable. Not that my wardrobe had been very large to begin with.
The guest bathroom had plenty of unopened toiletries and a new toothbrush, so I freshened up. I took my time, applying extra lip balm to avoid leaving the bathroom, which I inevitably had to do.
Eventually, I couldn't brush my hair any longer, so I threw it up in a bun and padded out of the room.
It had been so late when Bear had brought me here that I hadn't managed to look around. Coming down from the adrenaline high of almost being kidnapped at knifepoint made me a little scatterbrained, so I took the opportunity to subtly snoop.
Their home was easily eight times the size of mine, with tall ceilings and fancy countertops that screamed wealth. It was modern, but not obsessively so. There were several floor-to-ceiling windows that gave an amazing view of the city.
“Good morning,” Chase said as I entered the kitchen. He was sitting at the breakfast bar while his grumpy pack mate stood at the range.
Spencer was wearing a T-shirt and gray sweatpants, far more casual than anything I had seen him in before.
It suited him.
Chase, on the other hand, was straight-up shirtless and wearing gym shorts. My eyes gravitated toward the rippling muscles of his chest. I could recall how they felt under my hands while he was on top of me.
Averting my gaze, I mentally shook the idea from my head. That was the last thing I needed to be thinking about.
“Hi,” I whispered, hovering in the doorway. Unsure what to do, I simply hung back awkwardly. It wasn’t like I was casually staying at a friend’s apartment.
“Come get some breakfast,” Spencer said, using a pair of tongs to turn over the bacon he was frying.
“I'm not a big breakfast person,” I admitted.
“Judging by what I saw in your fridge, you're not big on any sensible meal. Sit.” He pointed to the breakfast bar where Chase was seated.
I did as I was told, despite part of my brain demanding I protest. Something about Spencer’s instructions made my hackles rise.
No sooner had my ass hit the seat than a plate was placed in front of me, absolutely loaded with food. Bacon, eggs, and wholewheat toast with avocado on top.
“This is too much,” I grumbled, looking between the food and Spencer, who was now holding a spatula aloft as he gazed at me.
“You need to eat,” he said simply, nodding at the plate.
I turned to Chase, hoping to find some backup, but he just shrugged. “It’s a good breakfast, honeybee.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I muttered, “Traitor.”
He shot me a megawatt grin. “Will you like me if I offer to make you an iced coffee to go with your breakfast?”
I thought for a moment before nodding. “I’ll accept it.”
Chase hopped off his chair, heading toward the coffee machine and getting to work while I turned to my food, nibbling on a bit of bacon. “This is really good,” I admitted.
“Spence is the cook of the pack! He’s modest about his skills, but his baked goods are amazing.”
“You’ll actually touch sugar?” I gasped mockingly, holding a hand to my chest in faux shock at Spencer, raising a brow. Even though I was busy glaring at Spencer, I could sense someone entering the room behind me.
Bear.
His presence was calming, but not quite enough for me to be okay with Spencer being an ass.
“Sugar can be beneficial… in moderation.”
Moderation. Who the fuck wanted to eat sugary food in moderation?
Psychopaths and bodyguards who didn’t understand the meaning of boundaries, apparently.
“Morning,” Bear greeted me softly. Coming to stand near me, he eyed my bacon. “Spence, is there any more bacon?”
“Nope.”
I furrowed my brow. He was cooking bacon as he spoke.
“What’s got him so pissy?” I asked.
Chase snorted. “Probably the fact that Bear smells like you. Like… really like you.”
My face heated. I had sprayed myself down with a cheap perfume that had survived the attack on my apartment and put on clothes that didn't smell of Bear, but he hadn't done the same. He was still wearing the clothes he’d slept in, and my scent clung to him.
Surprisingly, I wasn't embarrassed. I was pleased. There was something about having an alpha like Bear smelling of me that gave me a quiet kind of glee.
Mine.
With one of the slices of bacon from my plate in my hand, I held it out to Bear. He grinned wildly, taking it into his mouth so it was still half hanging out.
“Thank you, little omega.”
“You’re welcome,” I whispered.
Spencer clanked the pan a little louder than before, his glower making me bite back a chuckle.
“I have class this afternoon.” I kept my tone casual, but after Spencer’s declaration the night before, I knew there was a chance he would be an ass about it.
That didn’t change the fact I needed to go to class.
“Nope.” Spencer shook his head.
“You can’t expect me to stay here all day,” I grumbled. “If I miss too many classes, it could endanger my scholarship.”
Spencer shrugged as he flipped another slice of bacon. “We will pay your tuition, then.”
“It’s for your own safety,” Bear said.
“You need someone to keep an eye on you to ensure you don’t eat like an unsupervised toddler,” Spencer pointed out.
My skin prickled with rage. He was already keeping me captive. If he took away my ability to eat junk food, I was going to murder him in his sleep.
“But what am I going to do all day?” I grumbled, leaning back in my chair. “I can’t study without my textbooks,” I told him. “And there is no way in hell I am allowing you to pay for my education. I worked hard for my scholarship, and I want to use it.”
“We can talk to the university. I’m sure they’ll let you take a semester off.”
I glared at Spencer. Everything in me wanted to launch myself at him and maim his annoyingly handsome, arrogant face.
“Why don’t we just take a day or two to reorient ourselves?”
I nodded. I could take a day or two without it affecting my grades too much. It would be an annoyance, but one I would get over.
“Spencer has a few things to clear up today, and then you and he are going to go get replacement nesting supplies,” Bear told me, sitting next to me with a bowl of cereal.
“I can’t really afford new nesting supplies,” I admitted, doing my best to sound casual. They probably didn’t even think before spending money. They lived in a fancy apartment and worked for millionaires. They didn’t understand student life.
Spencer gave me a funny look. “You’re not paying for any of it.”
“I can’t let you—” I started, but Bear held up a hand.
“Spencer is going to pay for it.”
I paused, biting my lip. “Well, now all of a sudden, I feel an inexplicable urge to spend a lot of money.” I laughed.
“Hey!” Spencer grumbled from the stove.
Though it was all well and good to joke about it, I wasn’t truly comfortable spending a lot of his money. With my apartment destroyed, there was so much I needed to replace, and nesting items felt like the lowest priority.
The things Mable had given me were wonderful. Despite the extreme stress I felt about my place being trashed, I’d slept well, snuggled up with Bear.
“You know, I don’t need any new nesting supplies,” I pointed out. “Mable gave me loads.”
Bear frowned. “But they’re not your nesting supplies. You need to pick some out for yourself.”
“As much fun as it would be, I don’t think I can spend Spencer’s money,” I admitted quietly.
“Why?” Bear asked. “We’ve got more than we know what to do with.”
“You could do something smart, like invest it, instead of spending it on my nesting supplies.”
“Or we could spend our money doing things that bring us joy,” he suggested.
“Exactly!” I exclaimed, sitting straighter. “Maybe you could use it to buy a new taser.”
“Do you know what would bring me joy?” he told me, leaning in close. “Ensuring you have a comfortable nest.”
“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”
“Nope. So you’re just going to have to deal with it.” Bear smirked. The scarred corner of his face crinkled as he did so, and it only made him look that much more distinguished.
“Why can’t you take me, then?” I asked. The idea of spending an extended amount of time in a car with Spencer made me want to gag.
“I’ve not got the fucking plague!” Spencer groaned from the stove, making Chase laugh.
“He cares about you, too,” Bear insisted.
“I get that, but he acts like a total psychopath.”
“Chase could always go with you,” he suggested.
“No, because I’m likely to shove him down a set of stairs.”
Why was he content for both of his pack mates to go shopping with me, but didn’t seem to want to go himself?
“You know, I understand if you don’t want to go shopping for the frilly stuff. It’s probably annoying,” I said, looking down at my plate.
“Is that why you think I wouldn’t go?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Well, yes. What else could it be?”
He gestured to his face like he thought the reason was obvious. “I draw a lot of attention,” he added.
“And Chase doesn’t? That boy is practically a peacock at times,” I pointed out.
“Hey!” It was Chase’s turn to be appalled at my words.
I didn’t care that both he and Spencer were listening in.
“Yes, but you and I both know it’s very different kinds of attention. Chase gets positive attention, whereas my face makes people look on in horror.”
“Well, that seems like their problem,” I replied stiffly. “I happen to quite like your face.”
“Flora…” He trailed off.
“Can you really not tell that you’re handsome?
Are you that obtuse?” I said, turning to him.
“You’ve got a strong jawline, amazing bright eyes, really dense stubble that’s hilariously bushy, some scarring on one side of your face, and a nose that looks like you’ve taken a punch or two—but it’s full of character. ”
Bear stared at me for a long moment. So long, in fact, that I was starting to feel awkward. I shifted in my seat, turning my attention to my food. As much as I hated to admit it, Spencer was a decent cook.
“You actually mean that, don’t you?” he whispered after a while.