CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I don’t remember the last time I felt so…free.
There was an ice cream shop across the street from the restaurant we had eaten at, and after buying Brennan a cone, I told him to feel free to take off. He had me sign some kind of form on his tablet, and then he left me with a hand on the shoulder, telling me he’s happy for me.
Mattie has a double scoop of pistachio ice cream, while Archie has the almond fudge. Ollie, unsurprisingly, went for rainbow sherbert. Simon asked for strawberry cheesecake.
Titus tried to not get anything, but after pulling out my omega-grade pouty lip, he succumbed and got a small chocolate cone.
I’m still a little wary. I want things to work out with them, I really do. But what if, scent match or not, it doesn’t? I’ll be right back where I started, packless, jobless, with only an asshole cat to keep me company.
We walk through the park just down the street, grass covering the small hills and trees surrounding the man-made ponds. Archie and Matteo walk in front of us, hand in hand, and I can’t help but notice how cute they are together. Matteo calls Archie cucciolo , so I have to make a note to look up what it means later. Simon and Ollie are on either side of me, while Titus brings up the rear, eyes darting around the area like he’s going to take down a frisbee if it gets too close to us.
Simon has just finished telling me about some of his work at the hospital when Ollie sidles up next to me. “So, Tink,” he takes a giant lick of rainbow sherbert ice cream, “you seemed comfortable with your OMS bodyguard back there.”
I nod, running my tongue along the side of my salted caramel ice cream. I don’t miss the way his eyes track the movement. If one thing’s for sure, physical attraction is not an issue with this pack. Ollie’s massive build,tattoos, and piercings scream “bad boy”, but his personality is more like an excitable puppy.
“Yeah, he’s been with me this week. We became sort of friends after my first pack meeting fizzled out.”
“Oh?” Ollie’s brows raise in interest. “Did something happen?”
My nose wrinkles, and I shrug. “Not really…except…okay, don’t judge me.” My cheeks flame and Ollie’s eyes light up in glee. “They were perfectly nice and respectable. They were proper gentlemen, but…”
“...But…?” Ollie prods, grinning.
“They were just so boring!” My head drops back as I complain. “They kept talking about how they golf and go fishing which is fine for them, but come on! Don’t make it your entire personality! They all looked the same, dressed the same, and worked for a hedge fund.”
“Snore,” Ollie says dramatically.
“Exactly.” I nod, pointing at him with my ice cream cone. “You get it. So, I decided to shake things up a little by mentioning my reading habits.”
Ollie’s eyes light up as he remembers Brennan's comment from earlier and he jumps up and down like a toddler, pointing at me. “Oh! Oh! Monster smut! Monster smut!”
Titus comes up behind him and cuffs him on the back of the head. “Stop yelling ‘monster smut’ in public.”
That gets a giggle out of me as Ollie shoots Titus a glare. Then he turns his puppy dog eyes towards me. “Ty hurt me, Tink. Kiss it better?”
Rolling my eyes, I take step toward him. Peppermint and chocolate flood my senses, and before I can even pretend like I’m going to kiss the back of his head better, he bends down and brushes his lips against mine, then backs up with a triumphant grin. “All better!”
“Alright Casa Nova,” Titus hooks an arm around Ollie’s neck and drags him backwards. “Give the rest of the pack some time to chat with the omega.”
As if on cue, the rest of the pack stops walking, but I continue until I’m just behind Mattie and Archie. They separate, and each put an arm around me so I’m in the middle of them. Sweet caramel and bourbon send a wave of need through me, while the scent of ocean breeze calms me, and I let out a sigh of contentment as I nestle into both their sides.
“ Tesoro mio, ” Mattie purrs, “you seem to be getting along with everyone so far.” I resist the urge to melt into his side at his purr. That is some potent shit.
“I am,” my voice is breathy as I look up at him. “I just want you to know, I’ll never try to get between the two of you...except right now obviously. Or like…when you want me to be.” My cheeks heat at the thought of being between the two of them in bed, but I push through what I'm trying to say. “I just mean I’ll never try to keep the two of you from each other. It’s obvious you love each other very much.”
“I did not think you would,” Matteo says, a kind smile on his face. “Archie has told me many things about you, one of them being your kind and understanding heart.”
I turn my face downward, smiling shyly. “I have to admit, Matteo, I’m glad to finally meet you as well. I’ve heard a thing or two about you too.”
“All good, I hope?” His slight Italian accent has me clenching my thighs.
“Oh yes, but I do want to know the story of why you won’t go mini golfing.”
Archie snorts next to me and Mattie raises his eyebrow at him over my head, “It seems you really have been a naughty puppy, haven’t you?”
Holy shit. Did I just slick ? I definitely don’t get dom energy from him, but there’s something .
“So Cady, how was your pack meeting last night?” Archie quickly changes the subject.
My scent must turn sour because a second later, I have all four alpha’s surrounding me, purring. Matteo lifts my chin with his finger. “What happened, tesoro mio ?”
I shake my head. There’s no point in getting into it now. “It was nothing. Brennan handled it.”
“If there was something for Brennan to handle, then it was not nothing,” Titus growls.
“It was just,...” I trail off, shaking my head as I step out of Mattie and Archie’s embrace, needing space to get my thoughts out and turn to face them. I’m not used to being around so many alpha scents at once, and given the fact that they’re all my scent matches, the effect is nearly intoxicating.
Titus and Ollie look downright murderous, while Archie looks scared. Simon’s brow is furrowed in concern, and Mattie’s face is carefully neutral.
“The first thing they did was get pissy about the TruBond pill I had taken. Then, it took them a full ten or so minutes for even the ‘nicest’ one to realize they hadn’t asked me my name. Then one of them told me I was basically already theirs because I was well past my prime for an unbonded omega, and when I tried to leave…” I swallow, looking down, “one of them grabbed my arm, and Brennan stepped in and took care of the asshole.” The previously purring alphas all growl in anger on my behalf.
“But, something good came out of it!” I say quickly, lifting up my hands in a placating gesture. “I made a friend. Brennan brought his omega, Wren, over to my apartment for a girls night and played bodyguard outside my door while I vented to Wren and my best friend, Hannah.”
“I still don’t like it,” Titus mutters, still scowling. “Do you have their pack name?”
“No,” I shake my head. “Just like I didn’t get your name, and you didn’t get mine. But both Brennan and I reported their behavior to the OMS and they emailed me this morning saying it would be handled.”
“They take vetting their alphas very seriously,” Simon says, nodding. “They have a zero tolerance policy. If they put their hands on you, it’s likely they’ll be blacklisted from the OMS database.”
“Great, just one more thing they can blame me for.” I sigh, and Archie catches my hand, concern furrowing his brow.
“What do you mean?”
Another sigh leaves me. “Apparently…they used to have an omega who wrote into the Knotty Omega for advice. And as a result of that advice, she…left them.” I don’t feel bad about that. They don’t deserve an omega with how they treated me after barely knowing me for five minutes.
“I’m going to be contacting the OMS for that pack name,” Titus tells me, his voice serious. “I need to have my people look into them.”
“I doubt they’ll give it to you,” Archie says, looking between the two of us. “Its all anonymous for a reason. But if it’s for Cady’s safety, I’m sure my sister will be more than willing to tell me.”
We make it back to the parking lot of the restaurant we started in, the mood more lighthearted than it was back in the park. And then I realize…
“Shit,” I curse, frustrated with myself.
“What is it, Tink?” Ollie is at my side in an instant, looking at me with concern in his normally jovial eyes.
“I just realized, I sent Brennan home, but he was my ride. It’s fine, I can get a rideshare.”
The pack starts to protest, saying how I shouldn’t go alone, but Simon, surprisingly, jumps in and puts a hand on my shoulder. “We don’t have enough seats in our car for us all to fit, I’ll take the rideshare with her and then make my way back to the pack house.”
I hate the idea of leaving them even for a moment. This scent match shit must be some kind of voodoo because I swear I’m half in love with them already. Ollie’s joy for life and his ability to make me laugh, Titus’ protective nature. Simon’s quiet, careful consideration for everyone around him, Matteo’s strong, calm presence. Archie doesn’t count because I’ve been in love with him for a year already.
Regardless of how much in tears me up inside though, I order the ride back to my house, determined to take this newfound relationship one day at a time.