25. Avery
Avery
" W hat are you doing here?” Maverick’s harsh voice had me pausing my music and turning, mixing bowl in hand. His eyes dropped to the bowl then up to my face. “Oh god, that bad?”
I glanced around at the muffins and three trays of cookies I’d already made so far in my baking frenzy. Sometimes it was just easier to process everything while your hands were busy.
“Did they do something?”
I shook my head and sat the stainless steel mixing bowl down, letting out a sigh.
“No, they’re perfect. The guys are all moving in to Cohen’s house so they can be a stronger pack for me,” I admitted.
“Okay, then why are you here?” he asked, not letting me smooth talk my way out of actually answering him.
“Because it’s too fast,” I said, busying myself with scooping the brownie mix in the pan. It was a weak argument and his scoff had me rambling more. “Look what happened last time I thought I found a pack. It backfired in the worst way and shit is still popping up from it. I was reckless with my heart and I’m trying to save myself some heartache this time around.”
He frowned. “They are your scent matches, though. You said it was different with them, right?”
“It is,” I agreed. How could I deny it when the differences were so glaringly obvious?
Maverick must have sensed the arguments resting on the tip of my tongue.
“Does this feel real?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. If Maverick was here challenging me and giving me life-advice, I might truly be a mess.
“Yes, it does, and I’m fucking terrified, Mav,” I admitted, sitting on the stool so I could actually look at my brother instead of avoiding him.
His expression softened. “Look, I get it. I’d love nothing more than drive back to your old place and fuck those guys up for you. But I saw the way those two at the contractor’s office looked at you. There’s something real happening here and if you keep running away, you’re going to miss out on time you wish you hadn’t wasted.”
“I had plans of building a house out here on my land, but they’re all happy at Cohen’s… what if they don’t want to leave?”
“Do you want to?” he asked bluntly. “Is this really about them?”
“Why are you being mean?” I whined, glaring at him before getting up and putting the brownie pan in the oven.
He let out a laugh. “I’m not. You’re being a dumbass and it’s my brotherly duty to call you out on it. I don’t want another Cameron situation.”
“That’s not the same and you know it,” I argued, turning and crossing my arms so I could stare him down. He was completely unrepentant and not at all bothered by my protests.
Maverick was officially in ‘dad’ mode now and wasn’t going to let this subject drop. Maybe his harsh delivery was what I needed to get my head out of the sand.
“Isn’t it? He found a reason to push his scent-matched mate away. Now he’s a miserable fuck making us all just as miserable any time he can,” he said. “You’ve been hurt, Avery, and I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you and we didn’t help sooner.”
“You couldn’t have known,” I said gently. “They effectively isolated me and I was too blind to see it.”
“I just don’t want you to close yourself off, Avery. That’s not good for you as an omega or as a person in general. We’re meant to be in packs, to have support. These men were mostly strangers, you happened on them by chance, this wasn’t an orchestrated plan like before,” he said, voice even and strong, confident in what he was saying.
He was right. I remembered the night I met Travis and Brad far too vividly and now that time had passed and I knew their true colors, I could count the red flags in that first encounter.
After a long day at work I went to my favorite Thai restaurant. I would go at least twice a week, generally every Friday like clockwork.
My order was already in and paid for, two men walking up to me as I took my to-go bags and turned around to find out why someone would pay.
I was hit by their scents first, a blend of earthy and fresh, my body heating up the moment I breathed them in. Heat pulsed between my thighs and my mouth went dry, an automatic reaction to mates.
“Hello, Avery. I’m Travis, this is my packmate Brad. We come here fairly often and noticed you. When your scent hit us, we knew you were ours, but you never looked our way.”
I opened my mouth but no words came out. They were right, I never saw them before, but how could I deny what I was feeling now?
The interaction was quick and they rushed me outside. A red flag I could recognize now knowing they likely had on pheromones that would affect other omegas, too.
Disgusting.
I’d believed them then, taking their numbers and letting them court me. It was fast and a whirlwind, I thought I was happy.
How could I risk that happening again?
Maverick cleared his throat, forcing me out of my head. My eyes flickered to his and I knew he could see every bit of fear there.
“Don’t do this to yourself. You have to let your guilt go, Avery. All of it. What those men did to you doesn’t define your entire life. Maybe talk to someone about it, get your mind on track.”
“I’ve looked into that,” I admitted. “Lance helped me set someone up locally that I can do phone calls with.”
“Good,” he said. “Talk to them. And I hope it helps you realize that you’re worth more than this. Give them a chance to be pack for you.”
“I’ll try,” I said, meaning it this time.
“And you aren’t required to live here and no one will fault you if you don’t. The land is yours regardless and a few minutes drive won’t make a difference to us. We’re family.”
With that, he snatched a cookie from the tray and walked out, leaving me stunned.
Maverick wasn’t usually the brother I got advice from. As far as I knew, he didn’t date, was closed off, and had very few close friends.
Maybe there was more to him than I realized.
Comparing me to Cameron was like a bucket of icy water over my head. Was that what I was doing? Pushing them away?
I just spent the night with them. Though, I slept alone on purpose.
Mason and I connected, but it was just a taste.
Honestly, I didn’t need some long-winded explanation of how I wasn’t doing this… I damn well knew I was holding back and not quite trusting them.
What I needed was closure, the assurance my exes were dealt with, and the ability to know that I’d never let anyone treat me like that again.
As if he knew I needed to hear from him, Lance’s number blinked on my screen, the phone ringing shrilly in the silent room.
I clicked speakerphone as I went about putting the cookies away. Keeping my hands busy was apparently my only coping skill today.
“Hey, Lance. Any news?”
He chuckled. “I thought you might need some good news. The doctor has been suspended, of course. The Network did not take this accusation lightly and actually had a new team of unrelated doctors reach out to his clients. They were asked to come in without their packs in the room. When alone, it seemed that they found at least five more affected omegas. We just have to find this asshole’s records, link the packs to those pheromone manipulation sprays, and we’ll have one of the biggest cases in current history.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed out. Of course, I hated that anyone was going through the same thing, that they’d been betrayed so deeply. But it was nice to know I wasn’t alone, that maybe I shouldn’t keep blaming myself. I reacted like any omega in that situation would. Just because those men tricked me into thinking they were mine, doesn’t mean my actual scent matches would betray me.
Everything about the two packs couldn’t have been more different. Travis and Brad did the bare minimum to keep me content. They took away my individuality and disguised it by buying me expensive clothes and lingerie. They never saw me as a person.
The men I have now are different. They each have their own lives, but make sure that I’m content and happy when we’re together. They don’t tiptoe around their own personal lives, they’re open about them.
I feel at the center of our pack, a focal point that they celebrated instead of suppressed. They’d be happy to show me off to the world and are fine with me going out on my own whenever I wanted. I didn’t have to answer questions or ask to do what I wanted.
Now I knew why they didn’t take me out often, it was too risky with their pheromone sprays.
My new pack celebrated my independence and that was the only reason I was comfortable being submissive to them in any respect.
“Avery?” Lance’s voice was loud enough this time that I knew it wasn’t the first time he’d said it.
“Sorry, what did you say? I got lost in my head a bit,” I admitted sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, I know this is difficult,” he said, trying to be gentle and professional even while I made it awkward. “I asked if you’d be willing to do a formal statement to someone on the Network’s legal team? It would help you avoid court directly.”
“Sure,” I said, my stomach in knots at the thought of it, but facing my exes sounded worse. “We’re teaming up on this case, but I’m representing you specifically. We’re trying to avoid further trauma to the omegas involved.”
“I appreciate that, but won’t the opposing side want to question us?”
“They can want it, doesn’t mean they’ll get it. Honestly, they’ll likely not want this in court anyway,” he admitted. “We’ll record the interviews for our records, but will try to keep it as short and up front as possible.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “Whatever you need, Lance. Just promise me they’re not going to get out of this?”
“They might have money, but the Network has more. They’re going up against not only a group of individual omegas, but an entire organization that has more reach than any other company in this country. They’ll face consequences.”
Lance was confident and that was enough to reassure me this was the right way to go. I could live through one awkward, invasive interview.
Especially knowing that I was protecting future omegas from their torment.
“Then I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Avery. The more evidence we have, the harder they’ll fall,” he assured me.
“One more question, Lance. What happens to the omegas who didn’t come forward?”
“They may not have believed us then, but we planted the seed of doubt and when the packs’ supply of pheromones runs out… well, they have our number. We can only do so much, but we can prevent future omegas from falling victim to this scheme.”
“Okay, thanks, Lance.”
“We’ll be in contact to schedule the interview at the Network Clinic near you. Until then, reach out if you have any questions or anything new pops up. Be well, Avery.”
With that, he hung up. It was finally starting to hit me that this was happening, that my closure was coming and the hardest part would soon be over.
Hearing this news and after talking to Maverick, all I wanted was my pack. That had to be a sign that what Mav said was true. That they are truly my pack, and the sooner I accept them, the sooner I’ll be happy.
Truly happy.
Even if it might take some convincing, I knew I deserved this pack.
No more standing in my own way.
Cohen
Having the pack move in was my idea, but it was still so strange sharing my space with others. Arden was just as meticulous as I was in keeping it clean, so it counteracted Ford’s spontaneity and Mason’s constant coming and going.
Not one of us was overly messy, it was just… different.
Lola and Molly however, were in doggy heaven. They had endless attention and treats. Mason even took them on a run with him before bed.
Yet, as the house was finally silent again, I couldn’t sleep.
I made my way downstairs, glad the rooms were far enough away I didn’t have to tiptoe around to get things. Though, I did try and be as quiet as possible.
Grabbing down my favorite late night blend of tea, I turned on the electric kettle and pulled down my favorite mug. I was clearly a creature of habit.
Soft footsteps leading down the hall had me biting back a sigh. I wasn’t feeling social right now, but when I turned to find Ford, hair askew and only sweatpants on, my body had other ideas.
He padded over to the counter and leaned against it.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked around a yawn.
“No. Why are you up, it looks like you did sleep some,” I asked, curious what brought him out here when I was genuinely quiet.
“Beagles are bed hogs,” he laughed softly. “And I felt like I needed to come in here.” He shrugged, even though the sentiment didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like we were bonded. Hell, we had only just found out about… us.
I still was shaken by that. Everything about this alpha called to me. He was attractive, turned me on by simply existing, and his flirty nature always had me blushing.
But I didn’t know how to be with him. I’d never been with an alpha before.
“Do I make you nervous, Cohen?” Ford asked, his voice gentle. “I’m not trying to. I can try and rein in the flirty comments.”
“No, don’t change… it’s just… me.”
“You?” he prompted, stepping closer so his coffee and cream scent filled the air and stole my breath. He was overwhelming even when he wasn’t trying. It felt like if I gave in, I’d drown in this alpha.
“I’ve never…” I trailed off again, chewing on my bottom lip to stop from embarrassing myself.
“Been with an alpha,” he concluded. “Don’t worry, Cohen, I would never make you do anything you weren’t comfortable with. If it takes years, it takes years. I’m just happy to have you.”
I blinked at him in shock.
Years. That seemed insane. Hell, I didn’t even think my anxiety would allow for such a long wait. But taking our time? That sounded reasonable.
“Can we just...take it slow? Give me time to get used to the idea and work up to it, be patient with me?”
“Always,” he promised, his hand ghosting over my cheek and settling on my neck, tilting my head back so I looked up at him. “You’re mine, Cohen. I want you to want this as much as I do.”
With that, he leaned in and placed his lips on mine. The kiss was slow and sensual, promising me he could be gentle with me. When he pulled away, my cock was hard and I almost grabbed him, tugging him back.
Instead, I watched him leave, offering a soft ‘good night’ and a smirk before disappearing back down the hall.
I poured my tea and smiled to myself, some of the tension unknotting in my chest.
As I sipped my tea and let my mind settle, I knew that I would put everything into finding a new normal with this pack and my mates. We were all meant to be together and even if both Avery and I needed to take things slower than most, I knew we had a pack that would support us.