Chapter 31
Hudson
I don’t think I’ve ever been this hard for this long, in my life. After hearing Lane and Tate devour her, then Cameron stealing her away last night, I was struggling.
I’d never push her to do anything before she was ready, but after my third cold shower in two days, I was ready to burst.
So, I did what I could to distract myself. Which meant physical labor. I’d spent most of the morning outside with a thermos of coffee and the right tools to start landscaping.
Part of me worried I should have asked first, the other part of me knew that Ori wanted us to make this our home, not just hers.
“What are we doing out here?” Roman asked as he joined me, handing over a fresh thermos before pulling on some gloves.
The air was cold and sharp, but refreshing. There was just something different about fresh mountain air. Like I hadn’t truly found home until now.
“I was thinking an outdoor kitchen and hangout area. I’ve got the plans,” I said, nodding to the makeshift workbench I’d set up. I had a stack of papers and blueprints ready, a large stone holding them down. “Right now I’m mapping it out.”
“Impressive,” he hummed as he leafed through them, taking in each one with those silver-blue eyes of his. They were intense, like he was always seeing right through you, so I didn’t bother to hold back in my conversations with him.
“Really, I’m avoiding inside,” I admitted. “The pheromones are driving me crazy.”
He chuckled.
“I get it,” he said with a knowing groan. “I’m not much for physical labor and I have a meeting in town, but if you need me to swing by for supplies or anything, let me know.”
“With the Mayor?” They mentioned he was talking about joining in on a community center project.
His face lit up, those icy eyes practically glowing. I was glad he was finding his place here, too.
“Yes. He had his council meeting yesterday so we should be hearing about budget for renovations, ideas, and pay. I’m not sure who all is on the committee or if they’ll accept this outsider’s help, but I’m excited.”
He blushed, and started to tone it down but I grabbed his arm.
“Don’t hide from it, embrace it, Roman. We want you happy. We’re pack and we support this, whatever you need.”
He nodded and let out a sigh. “I come from a pretty big, involved family. As a beta and not the most outspoken, it was hard to be heard. I got used to toning myself down so I wasn’t disappointed.”
“Fuck that. Be loud and say what you want. If we ever miss something you say, call us out,” I said, tone serious and eyes locked on his so he could see how serious I was. “We don’t let anyone feel overlooked. Not in this pack.”
He smiled, soft and hopeful, and nodded.
“Thanks. I love my family and I miss them, but it’s kind of nice being able to do my own thing here. Though, my mom and sister have been freaking out at my abrupt move and not calling them enough,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“We’ll figure out a way for them to visit,” I promised. “Maybe being on our turf, with alphas and a possessive omega by your side, will make it different.”
He nodded slowly before letting out a shaky breath.
“I think I needed to hear that. It’s so weird, I’ve been independent for a long time but sometimes it’s hard being a beta. We’re overlooked, sometimes unnecessary even in packs, and the family always goes on about the alphas. I didn’t realize how much I internalized all that.”
Not even letting myself overthink, I pulled the beta into a quick hug. Squeezing him tight then letting him go.
“We’re family now, Ro. You’re ours just as much as she is,” I said again, voice firm and unyielding. He took a breath and nodded.
“Maybe we plan it for spring and it can be an outdoor family gathering,” he said, glancing over the space. “We can have Ori’s family and the Whitakers over, make an event of it.”
“You know, I think she’d love that,” I agreed. Now I had even more reason to make this whole thing happen.
“What about your families?” he asked, looking hesitant. Sometimes family talk was hard for people. Especially those of us without close knit families.
“Lane grew up in foster care, he’ll eventually explain more I’m sure. We became his family in our twenties and never looked back. Tate’s family obviously was shit, they were the ones who arranged his marriage then disowned him when it went south. I was raised by my grandparents and they’re gone now.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, wincing. Our past wasn’t exactly pretty in a lot of ways, but we were all stronger men for it.
“No worries. It’s okay to ask, we’re family,” I reminded him again, and would any time he needed to hear it.
“Well, I’m glad you have us now, too,” he said before his watch started beeping. He hit a button and sighed.
“Sorry to run in the middle of this, but I don’t want to be late,” he hedged.
“Go,” I said, waving him off. “That’s enough deep conversations for this early anyway.”
He chuckled at my light tone and waved before rushing off, cheeks flushed and a happy smile on his face. I really hoped that meeting went well. I had a feeling Roman needed this new project and the classes that would eventually start.
I went back to work, arms aching as I shoveled out the path from the back patio to the area I was renovating, then around the perimeter of this new entertaining area.
“What is going on out here?” Oriana called out, amused and bewildered. “Other than digging up the yard. Are we hiding bodies?”
“I hadn’t considered it, but you say the word, Love,” I shot back, wiping sweat off my forehead and turning to face her.
She looked happy. A whole lot happier than when we first met our omega.
“I take it your night went well?”
Her flushed cheeks had my cock hardening again but I did my best to ignore it.
“Don’t deflect, alpha,” she said, avoiding answering my own question. I let out a small laugh before gesturing over to my plans.
“Making an outdoor entertaining area for us. Hopefully me diving right in isn’t an issue?”
“What if it was?” she asked, curiosity lighting up her ocean eyes.
“I’d fill it in and plant new grass,” I said, shrugging.
“No, keep going. I actually love this idea,” she said as she studied them, a cute crinkle on her forehead as she concentrated on each one.
“Does it bother you I didn’t ask first,” I asked, wanting to know if I had overstepped and just got lucky this time.
She frowned. “This is our pack house now, right?”
I nodded. “Where you are, we are.”
“Then no, you don’t need permission, you aren’t my child. This is our place and I want you guys to make it your own, too,” she said firmly. “It’s feeling more and more like an actual packhouse and I like it. As silly as it sounds, even having shoes in the entry and small clutter here and there makes it more homey.”
“Not silly,” I said. “I grew up in a pretty cold house, I like those touches, too. I wanted a way to appreciate this gorgeous property and have a view of the forest and mountains. We can have our coffee out here in the mornings, have late night bonfires, have parties. I want this house to be full of life.”
Now I sounded over-dramatic. Lane was rubbing off on me.
She walked over and wrapped her arms around me, burying her nose in my chest and breathing me in. I loved that she was obvious about it, unashamed about taking what she needed.
“I love that idea. I want the same thing.”
She had mentioned a few times how tired she was of being alone and I was going to do everything in my power to make this home a place full of family and pack and life.
She deserved to have that space.
“What can I do to help?”
I thought it over. She wasn’t the type to offer help if she didn’t want to, so I didn’t want to dismiss her.
“Maybe you could help me out with the decorating part. I’m not good at that and all my plans are the foundations and stone and things like that,” I admitted. “Visuals would especially help.”
“Oh, say less,” she said, doing a cute little dance as she pulled her phone out. “I’m great at mood boards.”
I went back to work with the scent of my sweet omega in the air, fresh rain, citrus, and saltwater, mixed with a hint of something sharp and electric, and soothed by the mountain air around us.
Lane came out and wrapped her in a blanket, sitting down as the two of them leaned closer together to whisper back and forth while I continued working.
Tate came out later with work boots on and dove right into helping me. He looked over the plans, grabbed a second shovel, and started working without complaint. He’d always been the type to face problems headfirst and loved being outdoors, so this was an easy job for him.
“Okay, she’s freezing out here and you’ve been out for hours. Come in for some lunch,” Lane called out. Tate and I started to protest until our omega narrowed her eyes.
“No arguing, alphas. I’ll make a quick soup, wrap it up, wash up, and get your asses to my kitchen,” she growled. It was cute, like a feisty kitten facing off with guard dogs, but we didn’t say that. Instead we put our tools down and followed her inside like good alphas.
Anyone who said alphas ran their packs was insane. The omega was truly the leader.
I went upstairs to change, then shower because I was disgusting, and came down to the glorious scent of fresh herbs and bread.
It was warm and soothing. I paused in the doorway, a soft smile on my face as I took in my pack.
Cameron had joined them and he was standing next to Oriana, one hand on her hip as she stirred. He was telling them a story about a kitchen cooking disaster and their laughter filled up the room.
Tate was slicing the bread that was still steaming while Lane whipped up a butter of some kind. If the remnants on the chopping board were anything to go by, that was the fresh herbs I could smell.
All we were missing was our other beta. Then the scene would be complete.
“Is this a dream? Is this pack cooking?” I teased as I walked in after Cameron finished his story. Oriana looked up at me and grinned.
“They’re fast learners,” she said with a proud smile. “Grab down some bowls, spoons, and small plates for the bread?”
“On it,” I said, brushing a kiss over her cheek as I passed.
Cameron’s phone went off and he checked it. “Roman is stuck for a bit, he asked us to save him a plate.”
Our omega dished up our food and we all sat to enjoy the creamy chicken soup she’d somehow whipped up quickly. It smelled amazing and once I dipped my bread in the broth and took a bite, I couldn’t even hide my moan.
“This is so good,” I told her.
She blushed and grinned back. “Good, you guys can do dishes.”
“Done,” we all said at once, making her laugh again. I wanted to hear that beautiful sound and earn those easy smiles for the rest of our lives.
The moment she let me claim her, I’d be hers forever, no regrets. This omega was already changing our lives by just being herself. No more moving and going on shallow dates, no more chasing for a home that didn’t exist, no more just making it through life.
With her, we had everything, and it was like we were truly living for the first time in our lives.
Now I just needed a plan to spoil her as much as she was spoiling me.