Chapter 16 North
North
Iwoke up surrounded by warmth. It took a few seconds for my brain to come back online and realize it was Jack next to me. When I came home from the bakery, I thought things might be awkward or that Jack would see me come home desperate and think, wow, this is not what I want for my life.
I was so happy to be wrong.
He was just as desperate and got me off more than once before we finally passed out. Today, we’d work on being a pack and getting to know our omega, but last night was for us.
For me.
“You’re like a furnace,” Jack complained as he rolled over. Even though he protested, he pulled me close again, nuzzling his nose into my back.
I froze for a second before melting into the touch. The one I’d longed for far too long.
“How are you feeling today?” he asked. “I didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”
“No?” I answered, more a question than a statement.
He groaned in response, knowing me far too well.
“What we’re not going to do, beta, is overthink this.” Jack’s tone was firm. “Even if it’s a new dynamic, this is everything to me, too. I promise.”
Tears blurred my vision, and I had to blink them away.
“You really mean that? You want this with me?”
“And her. Yes,” he clarified.
Jack was always the kind to make sure there was no miscommunication, except when it came to us, apparently. I truly had no idea he’d felt the same all this time.
Yet he’d shown me last night.
I turned over in his arms, and he immediately buried his face in my neck, breathing me in like he couldn’t get enough.
“You always smell so good,” he growled. “But right now, it’s even better.”
Could my scent have really changed? Had I guarded myself so much that it muted it?
It didn’t matter now because I had him.
“We have to pack up our stuff and move over to the guest wing,” Jack said. “That way we’re all together.”
“You want me to move in here?”
“I know it’s not exactly traditional, especially having our mom here, and our dads when they’re home.
But the estate was always meant for multiple families.
That’s why it’s so big. Mom’s running it in the meantime, but we all knew I had no intention of truly leaving. This is home. It’ll be mine someday.”
“And Cole’s,” I reminded him.
He flopped back on the bed and let out a sigh. “If he stays around. I don’t know how this is going to work. She has a job back in the city. He told me they work together, and we have no intention of leaving.”
“I don’t want a pack like your parents,” I admitted quietly. “I love them, but I couldn’t imagine being alone all the time, or it just being us until they decide to sweep into town from time to time.”
“We shouldn’t borrow trouble,” Jack said, scrubbing a hand over his face. “She’s never said anything against staying. Maybe if we show her how good Pine Ridge is, she might want to stick around.”
“Which would leave Cole,” I sighed. “Do you think she’ll be okay with that?”
He shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Jack sat up, running his hands through his hair, trying to wake up, before gesturing toward the bathroom.
“Come take a shower with me. Then we can go to your house and get your things if you’re okay with moving.”
“Wherever you are is where I want to be,” I promised. I wasn’t attached to my house, it was just a necessity. I could always rent it out or something.
His smile stole my breath.
He stood, dropping the blanket. It was a stark reminder that we were both still very much naked.
This man might be the death of me.
His cock twitched when he noticed I was staring. It was still early, but it was already hard, begging for attention.
That was enough to get me motivated for the shower.
I rushed past him and turned on the shower. I had the water temperature just right by the time he joined me, sliding up behind me and pressing himself against my back.
Now that we’d tasted each other, we were insatiable. I couldn’t imagine how good it would be with our omega in the mix.
Or when he actually fucked me, not just jerked us off together or fucked my mouth.
After the longest shower of my life, that included him wrapping his soap-slicked hand around us and stroking until we came, we finally made our way downstairs to find Aspen and Karina in the kitchen.
“Morning, Mom,” Jack said, brushing a kiss against her cheek before moving to Aspen. He leaned in, pressing his nose to her hair and breathing her in the same way he breathed me in.
This time, there was no sting of jealousy. I knew where we stood.
“Good morning, omega,” he rumbled.
Aspen giggled and turned around, spatula in hand. “Not in front of your mother, you naughty alpha. Don’t make me call Santa. We have connections.”
She gestured to the fridge, where new pictures with Santa were proudly displayed.
I moved closer, inspecting it and cracked up at Cole’s happy grin. It seemed she’d changed him, too.
If she’d never come along, I wasn’t sure Jack and I would be in this place. Neither of us had been brave enough to cross that line until she and Cole stepped in.
“Well, do we have any exciting plans today?” Karina asked as she whisked the eggs, eyeing each of us.
“Where’s Cole?” Jack asked instead of answering.
“He had to run into town to pick up an order from the grocery store,” Karina said. “Aspen stuck around to help me whip up breakfast. She seems to be a much better cook than I am.”
“Which is why there’s usually a chef in here,” Jack pointed out.
“He had family matters to attend to, and you know I never question that,” Karina said, waving him off.
“Well, I can always help out,” I offered.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” she asked, though the grin on her face said she already knew exactly what happened.
“Some things are more important,” I said, glancing at Jack and then at Aspen.
“They certainly are, my boy.” Karina rushed over to kiss my cheek before bustling away again.
Aspen didn’t seem surprised at Karina’s excitement. She casually took the egg bowl and poured it into the hot pan.
“Do you cook?” I asked, stepping in to take over the bacon.
“I live alone and have since I was eighteen. I had to learn to feed myself,” she said with a shrug. “The first few years were questionable, and I still eat out a lot, but I like knowing how to move around the kitchen.”
“Me, too,” I said. “Though my family are definitely the cooks.”
“Oh my god, they are,” Karina agreed. “Just wait until they come over for dinner this weekend.”
“So, your family and theirs are friends?” Aspen asked.
“Best friends,” Karina clarified. “His mom, Madeline, is a gem. And his dads, Jasper, Damien, and Lawrence, are just as sweet.”
“We had a lot of game nights and cookouts growing up,” I explained. “My dad Damien is a master on the grill, and between Mom and my dad Lawrence, they can run a kitchen. Jasper mostly cleans, he’s a little Type A.”
“It’s good to have at least one in the mix,” Aspen laughed. “My family was big on dinner parties, but they were always catered. I don’t think my parents even know how to cook.”
“Were you an only child?” Karina asked before I could.
She shook her head. “No, but I don’t have a relationship with my siblings. They’re a lot like my parents, and I just wanted more out of life. Something that meant more than status.”
“I can understand that,” I agreed.
“So, I hear we’re all moving to the guest wing?”
“That was Jack’s idea,” she said. “Cole agrees that being close together will make it easier.”
“I may have overheard that,” Karina said. “And I have some movers coming in...,” she checked her sparkling watch, “in about an hour. So, we better finish up. What can I do next?”
Aspen glanced back at her. “If you can set the table, we’ll be ready.”
“We already warmed up some of your baked goods,” Karina told me as she gathered plates and cutlery.
“They were so good,” Aspen said. “I might’ve snuck one with my morning coffee.”
“I’m glad you like them. I made them for you.” I smiled over at her, unable to help myself. She was so soft right now, smiling and open, and relaxed.
“That was before you knew I was your mate,” she teased, leaning closer until our arms brushed. She glanced back at Jack, then to me. “Are you happy?”
My expression softened. “More than I’ve ever been.”
“Then I’m happy,” she promised. “We’ll figure everything out as it comes. There’s no rush. It’s not like Christmas is a hard deadline.”
“What about your job and your life in the city?” I asked before I could stop myself.
She frowned. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure if that job is what I want forever.” She whispered it, cutting off any explanation as Cole walked in. I made a mental note to push for more at a different time.
Jack jumped in to help put away the groceries he brought in. Everything felt strangely normal despite us being new to this.
Cole sat on one side of Aspen at the table, Jack on the other. I sat next to Jack, and Karina took her usual seat at the head of the table.
“You know, it’s been a long time since you’ve had a break, too,” Karina said to me. I blinked, unsure where she was going.
“I’m taking one now,” I pointed out. She rolled her eyes, apparently, it wasn’t enough.
“I spoke to your mom. We both think it’s a great time for you to take a vacation. Two weeks. Madeline will cover with your staff. She’s hiring temporary help for your team.”
Shock hit me like a truck. I hated the idea of someone stepping in, but I also felt intense relief. I didn’t want Aspen and Cole building everything together while Jack and I drifted in and out.
Karina wasn’t finished.
“And the mayor and I had a very pointed talk. You’re off work, too,” she said definitively.
We both stared at her.
“You’re a new pack,” she said gently, imploring us to realize that this was done out of love for us. “You need time together. At the end of two weeks, you’ll know where to go from there. I’m not pushing you either way. I just want you to know you have options. And that you all have a place here.”
“Thank you,” I managed.
“Don’t mention it,” she said, spearing an egg with her fork as an end to that conversation.
The musical chime of the doorbell ended breakfast.
It was time to invest in our pack, and that started with me moving my things here.
We might separate for a few hours to pack, but I wanted to shop for trees after and end the night together.
I sent a quick text to Karina to keep it between us and put in an order at my favorite restaurant.
A cozy night in front of the fireplace in our shared living room sounded like the perfect place to start.