2. Sunshine
Chapter 2
Sunshine
A s we left the kitchen, I reminded myself why I wouldn’t embarrass myself by asking them on a date.
Julian put his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s go work the room, babe.”
“I liked hiding in the kitchen better.” Luca muttered.
“You eat these people for breakfast.” I arched an eyebrow at Luca.
It amused me that he was a high-powered corporate lawyer. Based on his attitude you’d never know he spent most of his time dealing with fortune five hundred CEOs.
“It’s easier to demolish them in court.” Luca tugged the cuffs of his jacket down. “I have to play nice here.”
“Exactly.” Julian pointed across the room. “There’s the head of Bowen Consolidated. Talk them into coming to the First Responders’ Festival and donating a lot of money.”
Luca heaved a sigh and leaned over me to give Julian a peck on the cheek. “You could come along.”
Julian patted my arm. “I’m helping Sunshine check on her guests.”
“Very well.” Luca headed to the other side of the room.
I glanced at Julian. “You just don’t want to answer the same five questions about an omega being a firefighter.”
“Guilty.” Julian didn’t look sorry at all.
I didn’t blame him. It sucked in a lot of ways being a beta, but there were aspects to the other designations that sucked too. Society wanted everyone to fit into a neat box, and none of the people I knew actually did.
Julian was a firefighter. Barely fifty years ago it had been illegal for omegas to go into ‘dangerous’ occupations. He still caught some level of grief from his company, even if he was accepted overall.
But every time he was around new people the questions ranged from where he was from, to how he handled being an omega and a firefighter, and why his alphas let him do such a dangerous job.
We circled the room a few times, making polite conversation with California’s business elite, and then Julian headed to the bar to get us something to drink.
I’d just started another check on the support staff when a voice behind me made my entire body freeze.
“Sunshine?”
I turned around slowly, hoping I was wrong. A chill spread over my skin. Maybe it wasn’t Rob. But as I completed my turn, my stomach twisted, and I regretted every bite I’d eaten.
Rob Beneventi stood in front of me. His smooth blond hair was perfect, and his suit was more expensive than my car. Cold blue eyes assessed me, and I suddenly felt underdressed, even with high heels, a full face of makeup, and a fancy gown for the event.
But Rob had always had that effect on me. It was just that once upon a time, I’d thought I would be good enough if I wore the right makeup, said the right things, and became successful enough.
But no matter how many hoops I jumped through, it was never enough.
I swallowed hard and smiled. “Rob. Hi.” I was proud that my voice sounded only a little strained. Mentally, I was trying to ignore the panic that had started clawing in my chest.
There was no reason to be this upset. Pack Beneventi had broken up with me… after they’d started dating my ex-best friend Becca behind my back. I’d had my pity party, my crying over ice cream, and rage over being jilted, months ago. I had moved on.
Mostly.
Maybe it was over and done with, but my stomach still clenched like I’d been punched in the gut.
“What brings you here?” Rob looked around as if to say I didn’t belong in a room full of the rich and powerful.
I stood up straighter. I would never be ashamed of the work I put into my event planning. “I’m the event coordinator.”
“Oh. Well done.” His voice was cold and cultured.
I prayed that Rob had come by himself even though I knew better…and, sure enough, Becca materialized from the crowd. She smirked at me as she slid under Rob’s arm.
Becca was beautiful, with glossy brown hair, big brown eyes, and curves. For a moment I saw the beta girl that had befriended me on the playground in ninth grade. Becca and I had been inseparable in school, along with Talia, our other best friend. The three of us had weathered boys, proms, and family tragedies together.
But all that went up in flames when Becca started sleeping with the pack I was dating behind my back. I hadn’t suspected a thing until I’d caught them all in bed together. Like the cliché I was, I came home early to bring surprise presents to Rob, only to find them all mid-orgy.
“Hello, Sunshine. Nice to see you again.” Becca smiled, her expensive lipstick glossy under the lights. She and Rob looked ready for a photoshoot. “I see you’re still doing event planning.”
“Of course she is.” Julian slid in next to me, handing me my drink then putting his arm around my waist. “There’s a waitlist a mile long.”
I hid my surprise and relief, and tried to act like it was normal for him to cuddle up next to me.
Julian beamed at me, like we were the only two people in the room and then took notice of Rob and Becca. “Julian Kahele.”
Becca’s smirk grew bigger, and my stomach twisted with knots. I knew that look. It said: “I have the upper hand”. I’d been used to seeing it on her when she destroyed the competition. I just hadn’t realized I was the competition until it was too late.
Isaac, the other alpha in the pack, came over to stand next to Becca as Mason, the pack omega, walked up on the other side of Rob. I looked at him with regret. I’d tried so hard to win Mason over.
But he was quiet, and intense. I’d never known what he was thinking, and he’d go days without talking to anyone.
The reality was that I could date alphas all I wanted, but if their omega didn’t like me, there was no getting into a pack. Simple as that.
My attention went back to Becca as she introduced herself to Julian, “I’m Becca Beneventi.” And I realized why she was looking like the cat that ate the cream.
Becca had taken Mason’s last name…which meant she’d been bonded into the pack.
All the air rushed out of my lungs. I leaned on Julian a little bit more than I should have, but my knees felt like they were going to give out.
I couldn’t stop myself from looking at her neck. Becca obliged me by tossing her hair off her shoulder. A shiny bondmark showed pale white on her tanned skin. It was months old.
My skin prickled, and black spots formed at the edges of my vision. They’d refused to bond me after almost two years of dating but had bonded Becca soon after they’d dumped me.
“Julian, this is my pack. Rob, Isaac, and our omega, Mason.” Becca gestured around her, like I didn’t know these men intimately.
Like I hadn’t fallen completely in love with them.
Isaac at least had the decency to look uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck. “Nice event, right?”
Julian moved close enough that the heat of his body pressed into my side. I felt ice cold.
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. The room seemed too small, the lights too bright, as everything hit me. The whole time we’d been together, the pack had told me they weren’t sure if they would ever bond a beta.
And yet Pack Beneventi had bonded Becca within months of dating her. Some of those months were when they were supposed to be dating me.
“Hello.” Luca’s smooth voice cut through some of the noise in my brain. Then he was at my other side, surrounding me with his cinnamon and vanilla scent. “Luca Kahele.”
Isaac frowned for a moment, as though puzzling over something, then his brow cleared. “Kahele, that’s where I know that name from. You just finished that massive case with the Somatics Firm, didn’t you?.”
Luca gave the alpha his thousand-watt smile that said I eat alphas for breakfast. “That’s me. It was a team effort of course.”
“Of course.” Isaac worked in business and both he and Rob had been obsessed with social climbing to improve their careers. “A team effort that you pulled off for your firm. Well done.”
Luca put a hand on the small of my back. “I see you’ve met my omega, Julian? And Sunshine?”
“We have,” Becca said, her expression poisonous. “I see you’re still chasing omegas, Sunshine.”
I blinked, too shocked she’d directly insulted me to be able to come up with something witty. She’d already won, so I didn’t see why she was crowing over the victory.
“Becca!” Julian snapped his fingers, as though he’d been trying to figure something out. “ Now I remember. You were the best friend who slept with Sunshine’s pack behind her back.”
Becca’s face drained of color, and I tried to turn my choked response into a cough. Shock and amusement warred inside me that Julian had said that out loud instead of playing nice.
Rob’s face turned red. “We hadn’t bonded Sunshine yet, so we didn’t actually…”
And with that, I was back to feeling like I’d been punched.
“Cheat?” Julian snorted. “I’m pretty sure it’s still cheating, even if you haven’t bonded. Otherwise, what…? You’re all free to sleep with whoever you want?”
“We scent-matched,” Becca said, her voice as tight. “I can’t help that.”
Isaac cleared his throat, running a hair over his close-cut brown hair. “It was nice to see you again, Sunshine, but we have business elsewhere.”
Becca looked like she was going to say more, but Isaac shot her a glare, and they left.
For a moment I stood there, unable to speak. To think. The world felt soft and fuzzy, like it was all a dream. Or a nightmare, so much worse than showing up at school naked.
“Come on, love.” Luca steered us back into the kitchen. “You need a break.”
My hands were shaking. I hated that my exes still affected me. After almost a year, I’d thought I was over the ugly break up. I’d spent enough time crying on Julian’s shoulder.
Julian pulled two extra chairs up to a small table to the side of the kitchen and gestured for me to sit.
Logan looked up, concerned. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
I tried to speak, to tell him I was okay, but my mouth was too dry. I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat wouldn’t go away.
“Later,” Julian told Logan, sitting next to me. His coconut and pineapple scent soothed my nerves as he brushed his arm over my shoulder, as though he was scent marking me.
Luca brought me some soda while Logan carried over a platter of the different desserts that were on offer tonight.
“I’m sorry.” I gripped my fork, the metal cold against my clammy skin. “I’m fine, really. Over that whole mess.”
Julian ran his hand over my back. “It’s still upsetting, babe. Anyone would be hurt, especially with that hag’s display.”
“Who hurt you?” Logan looked at me intensely, fire in his eyes. “They’re dead.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. Really.”
Logan looked at Luca and Julian like he wanted answers, but Julian made a cutting movement, and the alpha backed down. Instead, he handed me a slice of chocolate torte with salted caramel sauce.
I tried to focus on eating the divine dessert. I was okay. My body might have gone into panic mode, but I was okay. My family was safe, I had friends at my side to help me through an uncomfortable situation, and I wasn’t in any physical danger.
The problem was that even though I knew all that, adrenaline raced through me like I’d nearly been mauled by a bear. I had never been good at separating myself from social injuries versus physical ones. Sometimes I thought I would prefer a broken arm over pain like I’d just endured.
I swallowed the delicious bittersweet chocolate. “This is amazing.”
“Of course.” Logan sat down across from me. “We’re almost done with service.”
Julian brushed his hand across my arm again. “You want to come over? We can play whatever you want.”
Julian and I both loved videos games, and bonded over them early on in our friendship.
We loved Animal Crossing and had already spent hours on an island we’d designed. It was a single player game, but you could visit each other’s islands and trade fruits, items, and clothing.
But as much as I wanted to spend time with my friend, I was going to crash when I went home. All the energy and work that went into planning an event left me drained. I would always be fine during the event, but every time I got back to my cottage, I just wanted to crawl into bed and binge watch cooking shows until I fell asleep.
“I need a rain check.” I hated telling him no, but I knew I wouldn’t be any sort of company. “I’m exhausted.”
“Sure.” I was relieved that he didn’t seem annoyed with me or hurt I didn’t say yes.
Julian was straightforward. It was one of the reasons we were friends. I couldn’t handle trying to read into what people secretly wanted, especially after Pack Beneventi.
Just thinking about the way they’d made me feel made the old worries come back, that maybe he was secretly mad at me for saying no.
“You’re okay to go back into the ballroom?” Julian studied me. “Because I’m totally fine hiding out here with a gorgeous woman.”
I laughed. “I have to do my job. The event’s almost over.”
“At least allow me to walk around with you. Luca and I can take turns.” Julian winked, and my mind went straight into the gutter at the idea of how else they might take turns with me.
Luca brushed his hand over my arm, his voice silky as he responded. “My pleasure.”
It was sweet of them to try and make me feel better. I stood up, and with promises to Logan that we would return at the end for more food, we went back to the event. Luca steered us around the room, avoiding my old pack.
I was lucky to have friends with me, but I reminded myself that’s just what they were. Friends. Nothing more.