Chapter 14
Oriana
T he scent of fresh cookies and the sound of chatter filled the air as I walked into my parents’ house with my pack behind me.
Not yours, I reminded myself. It was so silly how attached I’d already grown. The way Lane touched me as often as he could, teasing and flirting as he did, was ruining me in the best way.
Roman was jealous, making him even more attentive. Meaning any moment I struggled, he was right there for me and fuck that was a nice feeling.
Then there was Hudson. He was strong and quiet, but had my back. I felt safe in his presence. Until he was close, then I felt like I could melt. He commanded attention and I wanted to give it to him.
“There’s my Little Bird,” Brandon sang out as he rushed over to brush a kiss on my cheek. “Unless you’re good at baking, have a seat out back, boys.”
Hudson held up his hands. “I’m awful in the kitchen, but I’ll let you have fun. See you soon, Love.” He brushed a kiss over my cheek before walking out to greet Steve and Adam who were set up on the porch watching a game on a laptop in front of them.
“I haven’t baked in a long time but I’d love to help,” Lane said, looking a bit excited and nervous. It was adorable seeing this big, tattooed beta looking unsure. He always seemed so confident and steady.
“The more the merrier,” Brandon said. “Unless you hate country music.”
He raised a sassy, manicured eyebrow as he waited for Lane to answer. Lane scoffed and waved him off.
“I’ll sing along,” he challenged.
“Good, because as much as I adore and love my daughter, her baking skills are shit. She’ll need backup,” he teased.
I gasped, grabbing a chocolate chip and launching it at him. The peals of his hearty laughter hit me right in the chest. The sound was so full of joy and familiarity.
His laughter cut off and he was moving in front of me.
“Oh, Little Bird, don’t cry,” he said gently as he swiped my tears away. I was startled.
When did I start crying? God, I was such a damn mess.
“Sorry, I didn’t even realize I was,” I whispered, the sound shaky.
Warm arms encircled me, pulling me into a hard chest. I expected it to be Roman until he moved to my side, the scent of tea and honey calming my jagged edges.
“We’ve got you, Princess,” Lane promised, arms tightening in a reassuring hug as Roman tangled his fingers with mine.
“You guys are good for her,” Brandon said, looking proud and a bit misty eyed before turning back to the cookies as the timer went off. “Now, in or out, Roman?”
My beta watched me, eyes flickering to Lane and looking hesitant. There was a flare of jealousy there but he swallowed it down.
“I’m a shit baker, I’ll leave you three to it,” he promised, leaning down to capture my lips in a kiss that had me squirming before he walked outside.
“Damn, that was hot,” Lane whispered in my ear. “If I kiss you, would you react like that, little omega?”
My breath caught. That wasn’t said for show, but to work me up. Did he find me as attractive as I found him?
I turned, letting a small smile form on my face.
“I don’t know, beta, we’d have to try,” I said, voice husky, but then a wooden spoon was thrust between our faces.
“Not in my kitchen, brats. Get to work,” Brandon said, muttering about betas and their charm. Lane grinned, but released me before putting on the apron my dad handed over. Mine was one I always wore, a cute black one with pink ruffles along the edges.
Lane’s had vines and lemons on it, the apron pocket a big yellow pouch with frills. He tied it on without an ounce of hesitation, earning a look from my dad that had me giggling.
“You look adorable, Lane,” I said, laughing harder as he fluttered his eyelashes and posed. The flash of a camera had us both looking over at my dad who was now grinning maniacally.
“Never know when I’ll need blackmail. Now, no more distractions,” he huffed, handing over a recipe card as he scooped a fresh batch onto the waiting cookie sheets.
He cranked up the music and It’s Your Love started to play. I started singing along and soon Lane’s smokey voice joined in. He wasn’t kidding about singing along and now I wanted to hear him sing to me and read to me in that sexy voice of his.
Brandon brought in his high soprano, pulling me into his arms and dancing me around the kitchen before spinning me back to Lane. The mood was light now, playful.
I was home again.
That thought had my smile growing wider and a huge weight lifting off of me. I couldn’t think about fake packs or confrontations, all I did was soak in the love and warmth of this kitchen as we made batch after batch of fresh cookies.
“Alright, now I’m starving,” Brandon said, wiping down the counter while Lane and I washed the dishes. “Man, it’s so nice to have you back. I don’t have to do the dishes anymore.”
“Don’t act like you did them, omega,” Adam rumbled as he passed him, swatting him on the ass.
“Ugh, now I know how you felt earlier,” I groaned, shielding my eyes by burying my face in Lane’s arm. The beta chuckled, brushing a kiss over my head as my dads flirted.
“We’ve got the pizza oven fired up. It’ll take a bit to get to temp,” Adam finally said as he pulled away.
“Oh my god, I forgot about that thing. It’s still going?” I asked, a bit shocked. We built it one summer and I swear we had pizza twice a week for months.
“It was built to last, Little Bird,” Adam said with a smirk. He always loved to build things by hand. Said it gave our home more character. I loved seeing his pride shining through, the familiar crinkle of his smile making me grin back. He was the only reason I survived on my own so long. He taught me how to fix just about anything and if I couldn’t, he was only a call away to walk me through it or tell me to throw in the towel and hire someone.
He was the kind of dad who would drop everything and hurry over to help if I needed it. If only I hadn’t moved away. Though, he’d threatened to come anyway a few times but I talked him out of it.
Brandon started pulling out a pizza making station. A huge bowl of dough, jars of sauce, and an insane amount of toppings.
“Damn, you guys don’t play,” Lane said as he took it in. “I don’t know when the last time I had a good homemade pizza was.”
“Just you wait, boy,” Adam said with a deep chuckle. “My mate here is a fantastic cook.”
“I believe it,” Lane said, amping up the charm.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to check on the others,” I said, giving Lane’s arm a squeeze before slipping outside.
I expected the guys to all be at the table but Steve was the only one on the porch now.
“Hey, Dad. Where’d they go?”
“We needed some fresh firewood,” he said, pointing out at the side of the yard where the stumps were waiting to be cut.
My eyes were glued to them for a moment before I narrowed my eyes at my dad. “Did you put them to work?”
“No, they offered,” he said with a chuckle. “Sit down and talk to your old man, kiddo. I missed you. How are you holding up being home?”
“Alright,” I admitted as I sat. “It’s weird not working right now.”
“What are you planning to do for that?”
“Nothing yet. I want to see what happens when I confront Cameron,” I said quietly.
“He has to know you’re in town by now,” Steve said gently. “It’s only a matter of time. I have his address if you ever want it.”
“Thanks,” I whispered. “I’m hiding out so far. I expected to let my anger guide me but being home hit me harder than I realized. I really fucking missed Rockwood Valley.”
“It missed you, Little Bird,” he said with enough emotion I had to choke back fresh tears. Steve wasn’t the type to talk about feelings and emotions. But he’d always been the protective type. “Just promise me you won’t run from us again.”
“I won’t,” I said. “I’m home for good.”
His smile was blinding but the conversation cut off at the first thud of the ax hitting the wood. My mouth went dry as I took in Hudson, shirt off and hair tied back. His muscles flexed with each swing of the ax, skin glowing in the sun.
Roman was right there with him, putting new logs in place every time he split one.
Then they switched. Roman shrugging out of his shirt as he took over. He was just as sexy. All muscles and bronze skin.
Fuck, I was in trouble. One was mine and one wasn’t, yet here I was drinking them in like I’d never get my thirst quenched.
Thankfully, Brandon called for me to come help stretch out pizza dough. He had four large pizza pans ready with dough waiting on top. Lane was tossing one in the air, stretching it out like he’d done it a million times.
“Ugh, are you good at everything?” Brandon asked, flicking flour at my mate.
“Oh my god, Dad!” I gasped, earning myself a face full of flour as well. “No, you didn’t!”
“I did,” he sang out, laughter filling his voice until I tossed a handful right back. Lane stepped back as my dad and I had a full on flour fight, a cloud of white dust in the air and our laughter and screeching ringing out.
“What the hell is going on?!” Mom yelled out as she walked in, mouth hanging open. I swallowed hard, freezing as I braced for her reaction. Then a small giggle escaped Brandon before he blew a handful of flour her way, coating her.
Unease filled me until she rushed around the counter, throwing herself at Brandon and dumping a full handful in his hair. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he lifted her, shaking his head out and sending a wave of flour around us.
I stood there in complete and utter shock as they took over the flour fight. Lane tugged me closer and out of their range, chuckling softly.
“Are they always like this?”
“No,” I admitted, still reeling. “She’s not usually this…”
“She’s changed,” Adam said, startling me. His eyes were shining with love as he knocked his shoulder into mine. “A lot has changed over the years you’ve been gone, Little Bird.”
“Good,” I managed, a bittersweet feeling filling me. I was so happy she was embracing her softer side now. The other part of me was sad I’d missed it all.
There were so many things that had changed and I couldn’t ever get that time back.
I’d let an alpha chase me away and rob me of time with my family.
“Hey, Princess, it’s okay,” Lane said, pulling me into a hug.
“He took so much time from me,” I managed to get out.
“You can’t change the past. But you can live in the present. Soak it all in, Princess. It’s your life and you get to decide where you stay and when you go,” he reassured me.
I nodded, at a loss for words. How could someone be so perfect for me, yet not my mate? Again, I wished I could scent him.
“It feels unfair I can’t have your scent,” I pouted.
“You’ll have it,” he reassured me, eyes full of promise. My heart pounded as I thought about why he’d react that way. “I stopped the blockers last night.”
“You did?” I was shocked. It was in our contract he’d have them. “Why?”
“I want you to have all of me, Oriana,” he said simply.
Just like all the other moments around my family, this one was stolen away as Adam walked in with a leaf blower. Brandon and Mom shouted as he chased them out of the kitchen, sweeping the flour out of the door as he went.
He came back for us next, Lane tugging me out the back door and into the yard. Adam went back in, blowing a cloud out the door that had Steve cursing and tugging his laptop out of the war zone before he lined us up and dusted us off in the most ‘dad’ way ever.
My hair was crazy now, my clothes clean, and happiness radiating from me. Lane was right. I was ready to soak in every single moment I had in this chaos.
Rockwood Valley was home, but my family was why I truly loved it, and I was never turning back.
Now, if only my impending confrontation with Cameron could go this well, I’d be golden.