Chapter 23
Zachary
Friday
No one closed the curtains last night, so Alric’s room is far too bright with the late morning sun. Careful not to wake up Hunter or Madi, who sleeps on his chest, I slip out of bed, close the curtains, and head to the kitchen to make some coffee.
I still can’t believe she finally told us her real name. Madeline is beautiful and Madi is the perfect nickname. My heart skips a beat when I imagine introducing her to my mom, sister, and dads.
“This is my omega, Madi.”
We have shown her how much we want her, need her—now she needs to believe us when we say we want forever.
Alric is already in the kitchen, sipping on his steaming cup, and he looks up when I walk in. “Quite a night.” He grabs the pot and pours me a cup, adding a dash of oat milk, just the way I like it.
“Yeah, I’d say.” We’re both silent for a moment. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing I am, reliving the memories of truth or dare, Madi spread between us all.
Learning her name.
I take a long sip of coffee and add, “I can’t believe she finally told us. If she was planning on never seeing us again, surely she would have lied, right? It has to be a sign we’re moving in the right direction.”
He nods. “I fucking hope so. I’m gonna be a miserable son of a bitch for the rest of my life if we can’t convince her to stay.”
I head to the large glass doors that overlook the ocean. Nothing but blue skies and sunshine. “I think it’s a beach day.”
“I’ve already packed all of our lunches. They’re in a cooler by the back door,” he says. “I was waiting for everyone to get up and we can head out.”
This is why he’s the unofficial pack leader. Always the boss with a plan.
“Perfect.”
We have one more day to prove to her we’re the pack for her. One final chance to convince her she’s meant for us. Beyond being scent matches, beyond our designations.
Like moths to a flame, we both swivel at the sound of her charming laughter coming from down the hall. Some of the stress of potentially losing her lessens in my chest. She’s here with us, letting us love her. It’s more than I could have possibly imagined on Monday.
I turn back to my friend and I’ll be damned. He’s actually smiling. What a rare sight. I don’t think I have ever seen him smile like that when we’ve been here before. Not since his mom passed. I want to snap a pic to show Hunter, but then grumpy pants would return.
He pulls out his phone and sends me a real estate listing.
“Our real estate agent sent me a few photos of a ten-bedroom house on West Willow Way. We can have it before it is listed if we want. A week ago I would have said let’s buy it now, but we have a fourth person who needs to love it, too. I think it’s perfect for us, though.”
“As long as she’s there, this would be amazing.”
Each of us would get our own room and office, plus one giant pack bedroom with the largest four-poster bed I have ever seen. A garden, plenty of space for entertaining, and a library I’m already planning where my books will go.
“How do you think Dreamsicle will handle a new house?” Alric asks.
I try not to get excited before anything is official, but living in a house with my best friends, one feisty omega, and my sweet orange boy sounds like a dream life.
“I think he’ll be fine. It may take some getting used to, but I’m sure he’ll enjoy new places to explore. I bet he’ll love Bellini as much as he does Madi. He likes meeting other cats, he had a great time with my foster kittens last summer.”
Madi and Hunter eventually come out. He’s already in his bathing suit and she has her water shoes on and her hair pulled back, one of Hunter’s shirts over her body. I can see a little bit of a shiny string at the base of her neck that taunts us with the idea of a tiny bikini underneath.
She holds her camera in her hand. “The weather finally cleared up. Do you guys wanna join me at the beach? I wanted to get some shots today.”
Alric stands and walks over, leaning down to passionately kiss her good morning. “Of course, I’ve already packed snacks and lunch.”
“Thank you!” she says, kissing him one more time before turning to me. She walks over with a big smile on her face that makes me melt. “Good morning, handsome.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and looks up at me expectantly. I don’t keep her waiting. Our lips touch and it is electrifying. She melts into me and I pour all of my obsession with her into that kiss. When we break apart, she looks a little dazed.
“You okay?” I ask smugly.
“Yeah, you’re all just incredible kissers.”
“That’s why you kept us around for so long, right?” I wink at her and she laughs.
“Yep, that’s the only reason.”
Alric and I quickly leave to change into our swim trunks.
We all meet at the back door. Hunter got our beach chairs out from the closet and carries Madi’s.
I grab a chair and one of the coolers, Alric doing the same.
The four of us take off towards the best beach on the island.
It’s about a ten-minute walk, but it’s perfect for sunbathing.
The glittering Aegean Sea and the call of gulls greet us.
We all lay out our towels and our beach chairs, settling in for the day with bright yellow umbrellas. Alric passes out pastries and Hunter ensures everyone has something to drink.
This is exactly the break we all needed—sex and sun, now that it’s finally come out and will actually be warm today, reminding us it’s nearly summer.
Madi slips off her shirt and all three of us take a sharp breath.
The bikini is a shiny pink material with jewels on the shoulder straps and hips, her body sparkling with some sort of iridescent oil.
The bathing suit leaves nothing to the imagination and I’m sure we’re all burning this version of her into our memories.
She laughs at our collective faces. I realize I’ve never seen her in beachwear. Plenty of lingerie, of course, but there’s something so hot about a tiny little bikini on a warm day, imagining the tan lines I can trace with my tongue later.
Hunter holds up some sunscreen. “Madi, I think you missed a spot.”
“Really? Where?”
He plops down in the sand and motions for her to come over and spin around. When she does, he squirts the smallest amount and spreads it up the back of her thighs, but his greedy hands don’t stop there. Once he reaches her ass, he slips his hands under her bottoms and starts to massage her cheeks.
She chuckles at his antics, but doesn’t move away. “Hunter, I don’t think the sun will reach there.”
“Shhh, we can’t be too careful, can’t let perfection burn.” He leans forward to smoosh his face in between her cheeks.
“Hunter!” she squeals when he pulls her closer.
I love that he brings out this playful side of her. The three of us can give her different parts of ourselves to be everything she needs.
We spend the day sunbathing, napping, and reading.
“Last one in the water has to do dishes,” Hunter yells and takes off towards the sea, sending sand flying towards Alric, who is reading a thick book in Greek.
“No fair!” Madi shouts after him, quickly getting up. I take her hand and we run through the beach after him. The water is colder than expected and Madi lets out a yelp. I use it as the perfect excuse to scoop her up, bridal style.
“I’m pretty sure that was just a trick so Hunter could watch you run in that top,” I tease her. Hunter’s snicker tells me I’m correct.
She gasps and shouts with mock outrage, “We must avenge my virtue!”
“Of course, my lady!”
I gently put her down in the shallow water, press a quick kiss to her lips, and take off towards Hunter, tackling him with a giant splash.
We both come up laughing and I jump on his back, taking him back down.
“And I’ll do it again!” Hunter booms.
I put him in a headlock.
Madi comes over and splashes him. She slowly slinks up to Hunter, leaning up to kiss him, but at the last second, turns her head to kiss me instead. Our kiss is hilariously loud, right in his ears.
Hunter squirms. “Hey! No fair!”
Madi and I break apart and I let him go, shoving him away so I can pick her up, her legs locking around my waist.
“Such a valiant knight who has restored my honor,” she coos at me.
“You can thank me later,” I tease, winking at her. This might be my favorite version of her, wild and free, full of light and laughter.
My omega is bathed in sunlight and water droplets that shine like diamonds on her skin. She’s the one my soul has spent a lifetime searching for. I knew she was incredibly special the first day I met her, but now that I know she’s my scent match, I feel so fucking lucky she’s here with me now.
The press of her against me is priceless. I want to explore the world with her, and see her smile on every continent. She has become the sun we orbit, shining so bright that a life without her would be near meaningless.