Chapter 9
NINE
EZ
“You gotta put ham in that, too. And mustard.”
Juniper was sitting on one of the bar stools, giving me a cute frown as she coached me through making her a grilled cheese.
“You are a cruel, cruel mistress.” I went back to the fridge and opened it again.
“Funny. Kit says the same thing,” she sighed, and I grinned at her.
I layered up the ingredients. Gonna make this lady the best grilled cheese she’s ever had.
“How old are you anyway?” she asked. “Jhin said you were younger than them all?”
“Twenty-four,” I replied, taking some slices of cheese and popping them into my mouth.
“Oh, you’re the same age as me and Kit.”
“Sick. They’ve always outnumbered me, but now it’s 3v3,” I quipped happily. Her expression twitched for a second, and she looked down. What was that about? It was true.
“How did you end up with them? As a pack?” she asked.
“Oh, well Adrian’s my half-brother,” I explained. “Vander and Jhin go, like, way back, and Adrian made friends with them when we all lived in the same complex. They didn’t mind me tagging along with them. I just thought Vander was so cool. And Jhin, well, you know. He’d always take me seriously; not like I was just some dumb kid following them around. Respect .”
I put the sandwiches in the pan and turned back to her.
“Can you cut up some peppers and cucumbers? And grab the baby carrots?” she asked, giving me a little smile. Or maybe not? It was that weird thing where her eyes were tricking me into thinking her mouth was smiling. It was cute either way.
“Couldn’t say no to that face,” I said, and went back to the fridge, grabbing the vegetables. I was about to start chopping them, and she aggressively passed me a chopping board.
“It’s nice we got you.” I started chopping the cucumber. Never done it before, but I thought it looked right. Just cut it into cute little dollars. “Jhin’s already the pack dad, and now we have a pack mom, too.”
She raised her eyebrows at me, crunching down on a baby carrot. I finished the cucumber dollars and went to slice the peppers into rings as well. She yelped and turned the peppers sideways. I gave her a triumphant look.
“See—total mom. You’re responsible and shit. You’d be a hot mom, like that one old song.”
She snorted as I hummed the chorus of Stacey’s Mom . I turned to flip the grilled cheeses, and frowned.
Oops.
A little burnt.
“Ez, that's so weird. Are you forgetting you were at my heat a few days ago?”
“I could never forget that,” I told her, face dead serious. “And not just cuz you were our first heat…”
She choked, spraying bits of baby carrot on the table. Alarmed, I grabbed her a glass of water.
“I was your first heat? ” she managed, still coughing slightly.
“Yea,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows. “Pretty romantic, right? It’s like fate and shit that we got you and Kit.”
“Ez, what are you talking about?” she snapped. “You know I’m not joining your pack, right?”
“What!?” I said. Shit. Right. We weren’t supposed to tell her that might be the plan. No pressure and stuff. She went even more pink, hesitating.
“Don’t you remember the conversation? At the coffee shop?” she asked. Okay, I had to bluff my way out of this one.
“Well, yeah, that was super awkward, but I thought you two figured it out. I mean, you totally came to our date,” I said. “And I thought you liked us. Minus Vander, but he’s just being grumpy. He’ll warm up to you.”
She was quiet as I finished cooking. I put the sandwiches onto plates and slid one over to her.
“Abracadabra,” I said, sitting down and taking a bite. Shit, this tasted so good with mustard.
“So?” I said, swallowing. “The pack? You’re not even tempted?”
That wasn’t breaking the rules, right? I still hadn’t told her the plan. Or even invited her. We were just chatting.
“I don’t want to,” she said. “It wouldn’t work out.”
I opened my mouth to ask why, but she gave me a death glare.
“End of,” she snapped. She was still a bit pink. Plus, I was learning her prickly omega language. Like where ‘ fine’ meant ‘ awesome’ . Maybe ‘ end of’ meant ‘ I need some space to think about it ’.
“Okay, okay,” I said and grinned. “You’ve got our number if you want us back for your next heat, though.”
Her mouth dropped open for a second.
“I will not be doing that,” she said firmly. I took another bite of my sandwich and glanced over at her.
She took a bite of hers, and I tried to see if she liked it. Her face wasn’t giving anything away.
“Is it good?” I asked, nervous. It was a little burnt. Shit, what if I’d actually given her the worst sandwich she’d ever had?
To my delight, she offered me a small smile.
“Yes, it’s good. Thanks.”
“Yus,” I hissed, punching the air. She rolled her eyes and grabbed some vegetables.
Jhin texted me a reminder to start looking up hotels to stay at. He really was a buzzkill sometimes. I didn’t want to leave tonight.
“Oh, hey. By the way, we should probably stay over again tonight.” I shrugged casually. “You know, to make sure you’re okay.”
“Fine,” she said, but I knew what that was code for. I gave her another grin. She pulled out her phone and shot off a text as I told the amazing news to Jhin.
Her phone buzzed when I was collecting her empty plate in front of her, and I saw it was from Kit.
“What’s he saying?” I asked, peeking over her shoulder.
Juniper: They want to stay another night. Said they need to make sure my head’s okay.
Kit: Thought they’d be more into checking out my head tonight ;)
“Nice,” I said and raised my hand to give her a high-five. She snorted and left me hanging, making a little emoji back to Kit.
Juniper: -.-
Kit: Can you tell Ez that one?
Juniper: He saw. He said ‘Nice’ and then tried to give me a high-five. Because he couldn’t give you one?
Exactly. She got me.
Kit: Did you give him one for me?
Juniper: I’m not high-fiving Ez because you made a dirty joke. That would just encourage you both.
“Pack mom,” I sang, and she swatted at me.
Kit: you’re so mean :(
Juniper: shouldn’t you be working?
Kit: byyyee
I gazed off into the distance, now thinking about Kit and Juniper and giving head. Maybe together.
Nice.
KIT
It had been a really busy day. We had managed to get set up on time for two o’clock—only just—and I was taking a break, staring at the unpacked boxes, hugging my knees.
The pack had been really great. Adrian had switched into frenzied helper mode, diving at the biggest, heaviest boxes like it was a competition. Jhin had caught him about to take his shirt off and stopped him, saying it was going to disrupt the omegas’ workflow . Adrian blushed, and instead rolled up his sleeves, which honestly was still quite distracting.
I sighed.
I’d been real close to making this a complete disaster. Without Jhin, I’d have forgotten an entire room full of supplies. I’d accidentally used Luna’s real name in front of my pack, which she’d been pretty pissed about. Every time someone came to me with a question, it just completely threw off the plan I’d been making in my brain, and I’d stumble through giving directions full of half-finished thoughts and tangents.
But Jhin was by my side, his blackberries and sage ever present and reassuring. He was keeping his own list, not butting in, but calmly making sure things went well. He’d been so nice about it, too, posing all his suggestions as questions, so I didn’t look like a total idiot.
I wish I knew why Juni had stopped letting me go on the visits, because then I could show them something I was actually good at. Though, maybe I’d done something wrong, and that was why she was taking me off that duty as well?
My anxiety had been off the charts all day.
Useless.
Just like your mother.
I’m sure Jhin had noticed. He seemed really smart, just like Juni, his eyes always calculating, like he was taking mental notes.
Kit forgets steps even when they’re on a list in front of him. Kit needs help. Don’t let Kit be in charge of things.
Fuck, at least they all seemed into me.
Except Vander.
He seemed to hate me, snarling at me in the coffee shop, sitting as far away as possible on our date, giving me one-word answers or grunts when I tried to ask him questions. Juni seemed to handle him no problem, and once again I wished we could do this together. But for now, it was me trying to figure this out on my own.
They’d said he needed balancing, right? To get laid.
Maybe I should try to do something I was actually good at today. Take the first step towards ‘co-existing’ with Vander.
* * *
“I brought you something.”
I’d found Vander sitting on a chair in one of the empty rooms of the new house. He’d barely looked up as I walked toward him. Didn’t he feel it? Even standing two feet away, I desperately wanted to be closer to him. My heart skipped a beat as his gorgeous, icy eyes met mine. I shifted uncomfortably and held out the pastry.
“You like Danish pastries?” I asked.
“Too sweet," he said, not taking my offering.
“Oh, I have a spinach and feta one as well.” I pulled out the other bag.
“Pass," he said.
Shit. I needed to pivot. Find something.
I put down the pastries and wished I was wearing a sweater so I could tuck my hands into the sleeves. I ended up wiping them on my shirt instead.
“Um, well I could?—”
“Stop," he cut me off, looking right into my eyes.
I froze.
He stood up to his full height, towering over me, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his attention. God, he really did look so hot scowling down at me. His morning frost scent was sharp, spiked with his annoyance. For a second, I was terrified he was going to leave again, just brush me off, but thankfully he shifted a bit closer, folding his arms. I couldn’t help briefly looking at the way the corded muscle flexed.
He was still looking at me like I was a door-to-door salesman that had interrupted his nap.
“Let me do you a favour and save us both some time.” He was speaking slowly, like I was a child. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t like you. I don’t want to like you.”
Oh. Right.
I swallowed and his eyes followed the movement, lingering on my throat and then up to my lips.
Oh.
That was something. My hope soared again, because despite his brutal rejection, that had definitely been interest. I could smell the change in his scent.
Literally the only interest I’d seen in him so far, the first sign that the scent match was affecting him, too, that he might… want me.
And I could work with that. It was natural to lean into my body’s reaction as my perfume hit the air. To relax, to tilt my head a little bit to expose my neck to him. To let my breathing catch, to part my lips slightly. To look up at him through lowered lashes while I held my breath.
He tilted his head, and gave a small, cruel smile, his hand coming up to brush against my face.
My breath stuttered at the small touch, him , and I found I was crazy for it. I couldn’t help leaning into it, arching my neck even more. My perfume was building even more in the air, my body responding, waking up.
His eyes flared, his thumb stroked my cheek and then— thank fuck —he crowded me back to the wall and caught my lips with his. His tongue was pushing into my mouth, and I was trapped, his hand holding me firm in his ruthless kiss. I groaned. I didn’t want out, grabbing his shirt and trying to tug him closer because fuck, I needed this, needed him to want me —
His other hand came up to cup my head, and he pulled me away, holding my face so I was forced to look at his dark, contemptuous eyes.
I was panting, my head almost spinning as I tried to focus on him, on the way he wasn’t moving, just looking at me. Appraising me.
And how did I look right now? My hair mussed, my cheeks flushed, legs unsteady from a single kiss, all painting a picture of how desperate I was for this.
I groaned again as he held me and judged me, because I knew what I was—desperate and needy for him. I’m yours, please take me, please don’t leave .
If he left right now, he’d destroy me. He’d cut to my very soul and as my gaze held his, I wondered if he knew that.
“See, I like that , Little Omega” he said, stroking my face, and I could have cried in relief. He wasn’t leaving me like this, taking his time as he brushed his knuckles down my neck, over my collarbone, feeling my hard nipples and continuing down my shirt, sending goosebumps over my skin until?—
I let out a whine as his seeking fingers stroked right over my rock hard, aching cock. I arched into him, trying to keep his hand there.
Please.
His pupils had blown, his eyes fully hungry, hooded, and he gave another smile.
“I like that, too.” His voice was a low growl, sending shivers down my spine. “And I like this…”
His hands moved to my hips, fingers digging into my ass as he lifted me up. I clung to him, legs wrapping around him as he pulled me close, angling me until my stiff length was trapped, rubbing against his stomach. Something hard and hungry was nudging up, pushing right against the fabric of my pants, right over where I was slicked and ready and waiting.
“Fuck. Please,” I begged, shifting my head up, burying it in his neck, kissing his skin. I felt frenzied, desperate, the pleasure building in my lower back, tightening in my balls and he’d barely touched me. Fuck .
I whined, because all I wanted to do was claim him, sink my teeth into his neck and make him mine.
“You sound so nice when you beg,” he said, and one of his hands slipped into the back of my waistband. I bucked, rubbing against him. My pants were slipping down, and his hand was getting so close to the slick pooling between my legs, to where I wanted him to fuck me. I lifted my head, giving him a desperate look. My arms wound around his neck, and I whined again, arching my back, watching him as his cold expression trembled.
All he had to do was move his seeking finger right where I wanted him, needed him, pressing past my body’s resistance. Just one touch; barely inside, I was half-sobbing as my release hit, spilling out into my clothes, my teeth biting down on the fabric of his shirt. My body was shaking, my head spinning from the bliss.
And then I was being lowered, his warm body pulling away from mine as he set me down on a chair. He took a step away, and I didn’t want him to go. I needed his touch. I looked up.
He was towering over me, face flushed, cock tenting his pants. I could barely move, wet, hot, sticky and panting as I gazed up at him.
A triumphant smile was on his face as he surveyed me, as if admiring his handiwork.
“I like that a lot, Little Omega.” His gaze flicked to my face, a sneer on his lips. “You understand? If you want me, spread your legs and show off those pretty moans, and leave me the fuck alone for anything else.”
They were words I’d been fearing my whole life, but coming out of his mouth, they were like ice water, painful but clear and refreshing.
The truth, thank fuck, and I didn’t have to worry about disappointing him, because I could do what he asked.
I’d done it.
He was walking away now, but I still didn’t know?—
“Vander?” My voice wavered a bit, but he stopped, almost at the door, eyes flicking back to me in annoyance. “Do you want… you’ll bond me, right? You’ll agree if the others want to?”
He shrugged. “Not really my choice.”
Then he was gone, leaving me in my mess.
Okay. Right. Somewhere, one of these boxes had to have spare clothes in them.
VANDER
I yanked open the next door and finally found a bathroom. I took my cock out of my pants and leaned over the toilet bowl, stroking up and down over my shaft. I gritted my teeth.
It was Kit. He was everywhere. His sweet scent, his slender form, the elegant lines of his neck. The slight break in his voice when he’d begged for me, and how hard he’d been, how slick. How his tight hole had seemed to suck me inside, and fuck… the feel of his teeth on my neck and the sound he’d made as he —
Fuck . The surging pleasure rushed up my spine, prickling, making my vision white out as I sprayed into the water.
Sweat coated me as I leaned there, panting, still picturing how messy he’d looked afterward.
Little shit. I’d been doing so well. I’d spent all day with him on my radar, constantly aware of where he was when we were in the same room. I couldn’t switch it off. I’d find myself wanting to walk past him just to get another hit of that sweet almond smell, and every time I deliberately kept my distance.
Then he’d come with his fucking pastries and his large eyes and his soft lips—looking so sweet, so perfect. Begging to be ruined.
I was supposed to be shutting him out, trying to convince him he didn’t want to bond with us, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself, so I’d desperately flung up other boundaries.
Leave me the fuck alone for anything else .
I’d expected him to scowl, to try to worm out of them. To hate me for my coldness. Instead, he’d seemed… relieved.
It left a curdling discomfort in my stomach, an uneasiness that I couldn’t shake.
And as I was leaving, I heard the question he’d cut off. The one he changed .
Do you want me?
That had been my chance to say no, but at that moment I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I cleaned off and tucked myself back in my pants, avoiding my eyes in the mirror as the timid omega’s voice echoed in my head.
If the others want to .
What kind of question was that? Omegas were the ones who made those decisions. If a pack got a whiff of interest from an omega, they’d have to really be a piece of work for them not to get offered a bond. Let alone a scent match.
I shook my head, splashing water on my face.
JHIN
I crossed the last thing off my list and put down my clipboard. We’d done it. The Safe House was settled into its new location, the needed supplies unpacked and the rooms ready for the omegas who were booked in. It had been a lot more complicated than I anticipated, but it had felt extremely satisfying to work on something after being on leave for so long.
“All good?” Kit asked, his scent laced with anxiety. It had been present nearly all day, only fading a bit after he’d gone on his break. I nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. His shoulders sagged, and he took a seat on a nearby couch, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt.
He’d worked so hard today, despite being obviously out of his element. I could see how much he cared about doing this right, double and triple checking almost everything we’d done, albeit in a scattered way.
Mentally, I’d already claimed him. The moment I’d accepted him as our mate, he was as good as pack. I was ready to protect him, to care for him, and right now, I desperately wanted to tell him I was proud of his work. Trouble was, I often messed up by being ‘mega intense’, as Ezra put it.
“Here, you should sit down,” he said, patting the seat next to him, and giving me a sweet smile that made my heart ache. “You worked really hard today.”
I sank awkwardly down next to him, folding my hands on my lap .
“You did, too. You did a good job,” I told him. I didn’t think that was too intense. He shrugged, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.
He gave me that sweet smile again. He was blushing a bit, but moved closer, his warmth and scent covering me. He called to me, and I wanted to snatch him and bite him now , claim him so he’d be close and safe. I wouldn’t, of course, but the urge was there.
“Just, um…" His face hovered in front of mine, and I could see every freckle, each eyelash as he blinked up at me. I was hypnotized as he leaned up and pressed a single, gentle kiss to my lips.
I was in awe. A gift. It had been such a long time since I’d felt a gentle touch like this, and then this last week had been full of so much. His cheeks were furiously pink as he pulled back.
“Thanks for helping me today." His voice was so quiet. “For making sure I didn’t… that everything went well.”
I blinked, unsure what to say.
“It was nothing,” I finally replied, trying to dismiss it, but Kit shook his head.
“It wasn’t nothing. It meant a lot to me.”
He was so precious. His gratitude caused a single, pure bubble of happiness to swell within me, and I pulled him close, so his head was resting on my chest. Such a gift.