27. Mason
Mason
A very hadn’t answered our texts in a few hours so I headed for Whitaker Brews to see if she was there before hunting her down. My alpha was on edge already from another round of failed job searching, but knowing she was likely buried in work and not taking care of herself, was driving me crazy.
The door was locked but Nash was wiping tables nearby and spotted me, giving me a wave before pushing open the door.
“Tell me you can pull her out of that work,” he said immediately. I glanced around, spotting her things at a table but no Avery.
“Where is she?”
Nash turned around and let out a huff before calling out. “Where'd she go?”
“She mumbled something about pictures and left through the back like five minutes ago,” Maverick said, clearly annoyed. He spotted me and pointed, eyes narrowing. “You get her to eat and take a break.”
“On it,” I promised, clapping Nash on the shoulder before heading through the building and out the back door.
If I thought spotting my omega would be easy, I was mistaken. There was already a lunch crowd forming on the sidewalks and she was nowhere in sight.
Pulling out my phone, I texted the group to keep an eye out just in case.
Mason: Avery is overworking today and I’m tracking her down. She’s interviewing someone or taking pictures, text me if you spot her.
Ford: I’m not in town, still putting out feelers for some surrounding towns for jobs, but let me know if you guys find her.
Arden: I’m in a meeting, if she’s overworking maybe we can make a day for her. You occupy her this afternoon and I can plan something for tonight.
Cohen: Why don’t you guys take today, Ford and I can take the next time. We’ll never convince her we’re accepting of this pack if we don’t spend time with her alone, too.
Ford: Good point, I’ll send money over, maybe you can pick her up some flowers from all of us, Arden?
Cohen: I’ll do the same
Arden: Perfect, I’ll hit the florist before we switch off. Let’s say I’ll take over at five, Mason?
Mason: Alright, sounds good. Now to track her down…
My alpha was more settled now that we had a plan. With my head clear now I started walking down the sidewalk, veering to the coffee shop. I knew she went there sometimes and she was likely in need of a boost after working all morning.
Sure enough, I spotted my curvy little omega right at the end of the line.
“Hey there, gorgeous omega,” I teased, amping up the flirting to mimic Ford. She turned around, frown on her face and ready to put whoever was hitting on her in their place. Then she realized it was me and her face lit up.
Fuck, that did things to me. My chest warmed and my smile widened to match hers.
“Hey, baby, can I buy you a coffee, maybe some food?”
She chuckled. “You guys are always trying to take care of me. I’ve had food.”
“You mean the mostly untouched plate your brothers left on the table you were working at?” I countered, quirking up my eyebrow as I waited for her excuse. She frowned, then groaned.
“I just keep showing you guys that I’m incapable of being a responsible omega, don’t I?”
“No, but you do show us that you work a bit too hard,” I said. “Are you at a place you can wrap it up for today?”
She chewed on her bottom lip and blinked up at me. “If I say no will you be mad?”
“No, of course not,” I said, “but can I come along?”
“To work with me?” she asked, clearly confused.
“Look, I texted the pack when your brothers said you needed a break. I was planning on keeping you company until dinner, then you have a date with Arden,” I explained.
“A date?”
“Yes, I have no idea what he has planned, though,” I warned before she could ask. “And as long as we’re spending time together I don’t care what we do.”
She nodded once but looked conflicted. The line moved before she could say anything else.
We ordered our coffees, I paid before she could, and stepped aside to wait for them to finish. She was still quiet as we waited and I didn’t push her.
“Mason, Avery,” the barista said, sliding our drinks over with a smile. I slid some money into the tip jar and led Avery outside.
“You know what,” she said, taking a breath then turning to me. “I can do this tomorrow. I don’t want to miss out on pack things and bury myself in work. What should we do?”
“Are you sure?” I countered, wanting her to be positive before getting my hopes up. “I don’t want you to feel guilty and not enjoy something. If you have to work, you have to work.”
“Positive, alpha,” she said firmly. “Actually, there’s a farmers’ market nearby, can we go? I’ve wanted to check it out but I’ve been too busy.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and taking a sip of my coffee. “My car is over here.”
I could feel her melt into the touch and I grinned, happy to have her fully in. It wasn’t a test, I truly would have followed her, but seeing her push it aside to focus on us was a pleasant surprise. It felt like she was letting me in just a little more.
The drive to the market was short. It was simply a row of tables set under a long pavilion that were lined in fruits, vegetables, and some handmade goods.
“The Artisan Fair that used to be run by my dads had this kind of stuff. It was just a lot bigger. These popped up more after that fell through,” she said. “It was one of my favorite memories, just walking up and down the aisles and seeing how proud everyone was of their work. I convinced myself I wanted to do something like that.”
“Really? What were you planning to sell?” I asked, eager to hear more about her past.
She snorted. “I convinced myself I could grow things like my mom. It was a silly dream, I literally kill every plant I try to raise. Mama banned me from her gardens years ago unless I am helping her pull weeds. Even then she keeps an eagle eye on me.”
“I love that your parents were super involved in the community. My family was kind and obviously took Ford on as a second son when he needed us, but we’re not close anymore and they aren’t the ‘go out and do things’ types.”
“I think that’s why I love Rockwood Valley so much,” Avery said as we walked down the row of tables, taking it all in. “It always felt like one big family. Everyone knew far too much about us and I hated those expectations when I was a kid, but now I love that I know I have people looking out for me. It made me feel a lot less alone when I moved back.”
“I’ve definitely noticed that. I see the same people, we exchange nods and small talk, which I used to hate, but here it feels like quick conversations that just continue in a few days. It’s strange, but kind of nice,” I admitted.
I could see how raising a kid there would mean we would have a whole village behind us.
“Oh my god, look at these,” Avery said, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind her. The alpha behind the table chuckled at us and gave me a wink that said he understood clearly. His omega greeted us and she and Avery chatted about pieces. The bracelets were leather and mixed with gems and beads in varying styles.
“Can we get a matching pair of these?" Avery asked, holding up one that was more delicate, the leather braided and dark with a mix of blue-green glass beads. The second was a thicker band with the braided one in front, a set of two glass beads in the middle.
“Actually, we can customize the beads. One that matches your eyes, another that matches his,” the omega said, holding her bracelet up to her face and the alpha doing the same, showing a gray bead that was the same shade as her eyes and a brown one that matched his.
“Let’s do it,” I said. If Avery wanted something that was just for us, I was happy to do it. The bracelets were well made and tasteful, and having something on me that she chose? That was another way to show the world I was taken by my omega.
"Darcy here will have you set in a moment,” the alpha promised, giving her a smile that spoke of years of love and adoration. It was something I might not have noticed before, but now I felt it in my soul. That was how I always wanted to look at Avery. She deserved nothing less.
We wandered the other tables while Darcy worked on our bracelets.
“We’ll have to bring Cohen here, he’d love this selection,” she said as we passed the herb section. “Oh, should I not mention the others when we’re together?”
Her frown was not something I wanted to see on our little date and I pulled her close, kissing her until she was smiling again.
“Baby, we’re pack, you can mention them anytime. I don’t feel slighted or ignored, in fact, they were the ones who suggested we make sure to have one on one time with you. There’s no jealousy, we just want you happy,” I promised.
“It’s so easy with you guys that it almost feels…wrong,” she admitted, chewing on her lip. I tugged her abused lip free and gave her a soft kiss.
“That’s because your comparison is with an awful relationship. This is supposed to be easy. Not to say some things won’t take work and communication, but right now we’re happy and want to give you everything we can so you feel safe, secure, and loved.”
“Who knew that the grumpy, quiet alpha would be so sappy,” she teased, laughing when my jaw dropped and dancing away. I followed after her, my laughter quiet because I knew she was right and didn’t care.
By the time we made it back to Darcy, the bracelets were done. She secured them on our wrists and Avery pulled out her phone, taking a picture of our arms resting against each other.
There was something about the intimacy of our matching set, knowing our eye color was on the other and a subtle claim was in place, that made me want to bite her here and now.
But I’d wait until she was ready… I just hoped we didn’t have to wait long. The sooner I could show the world she was mine, the better.
ARDEN
Just like he promised, Mason pulled up outside The Omega Network right before five. She was beaming with a smile and looked carefree. Whatever they did definitely pulled her away from her work.
Her cheeks were flushed, smile wide, and eyes dancing with happiness.
Those gorgeous hazel eyes widened at the bouquet in my hands. She took them and breathed in the fragrance, tears welling in her eyes.
“These are gorgeous,” she whispered.
“Avery, what’s wrong?” Mason asked. He was just as startled as I was by the reaction.
Did I choose wrong?
“No, they’re perfect, you guys are perfect,” she said, taking a shaky breath and offering them to Mason. “Will you take them home and put them in water? I love them. Thank you.”
“They’re from the whole pack,” I explained. “Ford, Cohen, Mason, and I all wanted you to know we were thinking about you today.”
“Stop, I’m going to cry again,” she complained around a laugh, fanning her face. “You’re spoiling me.”
“As we should,” Mason said firmly. “Now give your alpha a kiss, I need to let Arden have you now.”
She giggled but leaned up on her toes to kiss Mason. My cock stirred at the sight of them, at seeing her so open to our pack, but tonight wasn’t about that.
Tonight was about getting to know each other, to spoil her and show her that a pack is so much more than bonds and bites, even though they were one of the most important milestones. We wanted her to know we were here when she was ready and that she could trust us with her heart.
She slid her hand in mine after waving goodbye to Mason. Her gaze lifted to mine, giving me her full focus.
“So, alpha, what do you have planned?”
“Well, I was thinking dinner,” I said. I’d been working on my plan all day and the owner of the Italian Restaurant, Il Giardino, was happy to rent me their back room and set it up just for us.
Apparently, Enzo was a romantic. He and his pack were happy to set us up, his omega going as far as printing off a special menu for the night.
Avery was confused when they lit up at the sight of us, ushering us through the restaurant.
When they opened the door to reveal it, I was just as stunned as she was.
The table was gorgeous, set with candlelight and a beautiful floral centerpieces. The other tables were removed so ours stood in the center of the room.
“We’ve prepared this table for you,” Enzo said, bowing slightly as we passed.
“This is gorgeous,” Avery gushed, letting out a little laugh as they placed a cold glass of champagne in her hand. She took a sip and groaned. “This is incredible.”
“Here is tonight’s menu, and we will be sure to check in often,” Enzo promised, giving me a secret smile after placing it on the table then leaving us alone.
“This is crazy, Arden,” she said, shaking her head as she took it all in again.
“It’s all for you, omega,” I said, pulling her close and claiming her lips. She melted into me, a small moan escaping before I helped her into her chair then took mine.
She looked even more gorgeous in the warm candlelight. Her black hair was shiny and her hazel eyes bright with excitement. She was clearly not used to this level of thought being put into dates but it only made me want to make this a tradition. She deserved the world.
“Did you see yourself staying in Rockwood Valley?” she asked as she took another sip of her champagne. Her cheeks were already flushing red and I made a mental note of asking for water or other drinks as well.
“When I first came here, I honestly wasn’t sure, but it didn’t take long to convince me that this was where I wanted to settle down. I love the work I do at the Network Clinic, and now I have every reason to never want to leave,” I said.
“What about your mom? You mentioned before she moved away, do you think she’ll visit?”
“Maybe, if not we could visit her. We text and keep in touch, but she’s very much in her ‘living her best life’ era and I don’t fault her for that,” I said. My mom was amazing, but she was a free spirit and I loved that she could enjoy that now.
“I’d like to meet her eventually,” Avery said, looking shy now. “I hope she likes me.”
“She’ll love you like I do,” I promised. “She’s never put much stock in packs after being a single mom, but she’ll be happy for us. If you make me happy, and you do, she’ll be on board.”
“That’s reassuring,” she said, her tension unknotting just a little. “I want you guys to be as happy as you make me. I need to step up my game.”
“It’s our job to court you,” I reminded her but she rolled her eyes, letting out a sarcastic laugh.
“Fuck that. I love that you spoil me, but I want to do the same to you guys. I need to learn your favorite meals and treats, what makes you happy, all the things,” she said.
“Well, I’m a sucker for anything caramel flavored. I hate dark chocolate and have way more of a sweet tooth than I have any right to have as a doctor,” I said.
“Good, because I love to bake when I’m working through things in my head. I think with this job and all these changes, you’ll get to taste test plenty.”
“As long as I also get to taste you,” I teased, loving the blush that tinted her cheeks even more red before we were interrupted.
The staff rushed in, offering bread and salad and taking our orders, including non-alcoholic drinks as well, before we were alone again.
I could spend a lifetime listening to Avery talk. She lit up when talking about work and this town. She was opening up more each time we spent time with her and I was happy today took a turn that led to this date.
She had been hiding behind her work and I knew part of that was her passion for it, the other part was running. I hoped today and tonight, and the dates and nights with our pack to follow, would convince her that she didn’t have to run.
We were here for her in every way, we’d support her and show her that we were never going to hurt her like they did.
Our pack was already in love with her, and the moment she said the word, we’d be hers forever.