7. Lyra
T he following morning, I woke feeling far more rested than I had in a week. Apparently, being fucked to sleep was a rather effective tool. It might have also helped to put a smile on my face for them each to give me another orgasm as we showered. The shower in their shared bathroom was massive and had me wondering if they’d made it specifically so three people could enjoy it without a problem.
Once clean, I borrowed Tanner’s bathrobe and headed up to my room to get ready for the day. I put a little more effort into my appearance since Dr. Mann would be there for my session in a few hours. My mind raced with everything I wanted to talk to her about as I paced the length of my room, plucking at my lip.
“Angel,” Fawn called out as he knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”
I couldn’t help but smile knowing he was doing his best to honor my request to respect that my room was my safe space. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them around or to spend time in my room, I just wanted to know I had a place where I had total control. I’m sure Dr. Mann would have some thoughts about my feelings on this, but there were far bigger issues to deal with first.
Striding to the door, I opened it and was immediately engulfed in a warm hug and surrounded by the scent of strawberries. Neither of us said anything. Instead, we basked in the warmth and comfort that our bond provided. It still blew my mind how deep this bond between us truly was. Words couldn’t express the feelings that flowed through our connection.
Would it be like this when I bond with the others, or was it because we’re both Omegas?
Something in my gut told me our bond was special and unique, but so would any bond with my Alphas. All my guys were so vastly different, so why wouldn’t our bonds be the same?
Fawn kissed my temple before pulling back slightly so he could see my face. “I can feel your anxiety rolling off you through our bond,” Fawn shared, his gaze searching mine as if he could find the answer within it. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You are helping simply by coming to check on me,” I said, then leaned in to kiss him.
When I tried to pull back, planning to keep the kiss short and sweet, Fawn tightened his hold, keeping me right where I was. Tilting his head slightly, Fawn’s tongue brushed over my bottom lip with a soft, pleading whine. Seeing no reason to deny my bond mate, I relaxed against him and parted my lips, allowing our tongues to caress each other. Fawn’s hands slid up my back until he slid his fingers into my hair, cupping the back of my neck. I lost all sense of time as I gave myself over to this moment, refusing to spoil it by allowing my worries to rule. This kiss wasn’t about sex or possessiveness, it was Fawn sharing his peace and confidence with me.
Finally, Fawn broke the kiss but didn’t go far as he leaned his forehead against mine. “I will always be here for you, however you need me, my beautiful angel.”
Smiling, I clasped his wrists and nuzzled my nose against his. “Thank you,” I whispered, watching his gorgeous hazel eyes sparkle in the morning sunlight.
The large toothy smile and full body wiggle I got in response caused me to snort out a laugh. “What?” I demanded, not understanding his reaction.
He simply shook his head, kissed me on the nose, and released his hold only to clasp my hand with his. “It’s nothing,” he dismissed. “Come on, let’s head down for breakfast.”
I let him drag me out of my room and into the elevator, still confused but willing to let it go if Fawn didn’t want to explain himself.
Breakfast was simple since we needed to go grocery shopping. Part of me was dreading the idea of getting into a car so soon, but on the other hand, I was getting restless being cooped up in the house. The debate about what to buy took almost a whole hour, but everyone managed to get the things they wanted and plan the meals for the week.
“All right, I’ll double-check the pantry. Once I’m sure we’re truly out, I’ll put our order in, and we should get it delivered later this afternoon,” Pascal said, jotting down the last few ingredients.
“Um, I have a request,” I cut in before everyone got up from the table.
All their gazes shifted to me full of curiosity. “What is it, beautiful?” Pascal asked, gesturing for me to continue.
Unsure why I felt so nervous about making this request, I took a second and tucked my hair behind my ear. “Would it be all right if I cooked for all of you one night? I enjoy cooking and all of you have been taking care of me since the moment we met. I'd like the chance to do something in return.”
Eli, who was sitting next to me, rested his hand on my thigh, drawing my attention to him. “You don’t owe us anything, Lyra. We are your Alphas, your pack. None of us do things expecting anything in return.”
“However,” Pascal cut in. “If you truly do enjoy cooking, and it’s something that will help you feel more at home here, I have no objection to you cooking whenever you like.”
Fawn threw up his hand. “I agree with Passy, and not only because I want to eat your cooking. Zachary and Tanner tend to cook because I’m terrible at it, and Passy’s skills are rather limited.” He turns to look at him. “No offense.”
Pascal frowned at Fawn. “What do you mean by limited? You love my cooking.”
“Hell, yeah, I love your cooking, but there are only so many times I can eat baked chicken, spaghetti, and waffles,” Fawn explained. “If Lyra gets added to the rotation, it gives all three of you a night off to just enjoy dinner. Plus, I’m sure she’ll have new recipes.”
Tanner chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. “Fawnie’s got a point. Once we get back to real life and work again, it will be helpful to have an extra cook for nights when the three of us are busy. Summer is when the coffee shop is the busiest, and we stay open later. Zac has classes he teaches twice a month after the salon closes, and, Pascal, you sometimes have to take late meetings for clients overseas. Besides, to keep things fair we all agreed to take on chores to stay on top of things at the house. If Lyra wants to cook, then it can be one of her duties.”
His logic seemed to garner everyone’s agreement, and the conversation moved on to other things as we gathered up our dishes. I hung back momentarily and watched as Tanner and Fawn loaded up the dishwasher. Tanner whispered something to Fawn, which had the Omega dramatically pressing a hand to his chest and gasping. As if sensing something was brewing between the two, Zachary snapped the dish towel at Tanner’s ass.
“The fuck,” Tanner shouted as he twisted around to glare at Zachary. “What was that for?”
“No teasing him until everything from breakfast is cleaned up,” Zachary stated as he crossed his arms. “Dr. Mann will be here in half an hour, and I don’t want the scent of sex lingering in the air. It’s the first time she’s coming to our home and meeting all of us.”
“You’re being no fun, papa bear,” Fawn grumbled.
Seeing the pleading puppy dog eyes Fawn gave Zachary made me chuckle. Fawn was truly fearless when it came to asking for what he wanted. It was something I hoped I might be able to learn to do myself one day, but for now, I needed to work on other areas of my life first.
I maneuvered around the guys as I made my way over to the dishwasher to deposit my dishes before they shut it. An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me out of the kitchen and against a broad chest. The scent of teakwood told me it was Eli, so I relaxed in his hold and tilted my head back to see his face. His free hand cupped my cheek as he kissed me nice and slow, making my toes curl in delight.
“I hadn’t gotten my good morning kiss yet,” Eli said, his thumb stroking my cheek.
I smiled wide enough it made my cheeks ache at the warmth and love I found in his ice blue eyes. “I’ll try to make sure I don’t forget, seeing as it’s important to you.” My tone had a hint of teasing, which had Eli returning my smile with one of his own.
“Don’t worry, petal,” Eli murmured, his lips brushing against mine. “I’ll happily remind you if you do.”
Happiness bloomed in my chest in a way it hadn’t in so many years. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to feel this blissful feeling after losing my family, but it would seem my heart wasn’t as broken as I originally thought.
Eli took a seat on one of the counter stools and pulled me to sit sideways on his lap. I was now held in both his arms, ensuring I wouldn’t fall. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, I tucked my head under his chin and let out a contented sigh.
“Lyra, I know we’re supposed to be on courting leave, but later today, I need to meet with my lawyer, Jonathan. There are some things the two of us need to go over and deal with. I’d have Jonathan come here, but I don’t want the media vultures still lingering around to know about this meeting,” Eli shared. “It won’t take too long, I promise.”
I sat up straighter so we could talk face-to-face. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes and no,” Eli answered ambiguously. “In light of what’s been happening with the media sharing such personal information about our pack, I asked Jonathan to hire a private eye so they could find out how all these buried stories are coming to light. The PI found a lead and wanted to discuss things in person.”
Shocked by this answer, I couldn’t do anything but blink at him.
Eli leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “This is all going to blow over, and soon the world will forget about our pack once there’s a new scandal to splash across the pages. My goal is to keep something like this from happening to us ever again. Plus, Mira Chambers, the woman I’m suing, has decided to counter-sue, saying I’m harassing her and her family.”
“What?” Fawn gasped as he came to stand beside us. “Was that the reason you got a call at five this morning?”
A simple nod was Eli’s only response.
“What does that mean for the rest of us?” Pascal questioned, leaning against the counter across from us.
Everyone else also stopped what they were doing and focused on Eli, waiting for his answer.
“I’m the only one listed on the suit, so it shouldn’t affect any of you,” he reassured us. “However, there is concern that she could go after Fawn and Lyra since I’ve ensured they were added to all my bank accounts, given some of my company shares, and made them beneficiaries of everything should something happen to me. Of course, they’d need to prove how either of them has harassed Mrs. Chambers or her family, which they haven’t.”
Pascal frowned as he adjusted his glasses. “What would be the point of the counter-sue? From what you’ve explained, neither you nor your family has made any effort to contact her or cause problems for her son who’s in prison.”
“This is one reason why Jonathan and I wanted to meet in person. We’re hoping the private eye might be able to give us a little more information on everything that’s been going on,” Eli said, letting out a heavy sigh before releasing his hold on me so I could slide off his lap.
Once I was standing, Eli’s hand gripped my hips and turned me to face him. With him sitting, it brought us to eye level, and I felt the weight of his gaze on me. It didn’t make me nervous, quite the opposite in fact, I felt truly seen and acknowledged. “Petal, I’m not planning to head out until after Dr. Mann leaves. I know she mentioned it might be helpful for us to join in part of your session, but only if you feel it will be helpful.”
I smiled as I reached out for his hand, which was resting on his lap, and squeezed it. “I don’t think you know just how much it means to me that I have your support.” I paused and looked at the rest of my pack. “That goes for all of you. Since the moment we met, you’ve done everything in your power to show me how much I matter, even when I don’t always believe it.”
The guys gathered around and smothered me in a group hug which had me laughing as they all tried to kiss me at the same time.
In my heart of hearts, I pleaded and prayed that this new family I’d found myself in wouldn’t be taken away from me until we were old and gray.