22. Sabs #2
“You’re probably right,” Delilah agrees upon consideration. “Tae wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Though I doubt Drax would have the dexterity to create latte art like Tae can,” Faye chirps. “Did I tell you he made me the cutest foam squirrel last week?”
Delilah’s face glazes over with happiness, practically glowing. “He’s so talented.”
“Foam squirrels aside, I don’t think Drax will be crushing any skulls anytime soon,” I scoff. “If he did, Adler’s would be first to go. There’s been serious tension between them.”
“At least Orin works for campus security.” Faye’s ever the optimist. “And Luca seems really sweet.”
“He is,” I reply, butterflies flapping in my chest at just a thought of him. “He’s far too nice for someone like me.”
“You deserve to be with someone nice,” Delilah counters. “Your idea of nice is heavily skewed because you’ve spent the last few years hooking up with assholes who don’t deserve you. Excluding Drax, obviously. That poor guy has been following you around like a lovesick puppy for years.”
I pout. “Has not!”
“Well, like a protective guard dog, then,” Delilah corrects while adjusting her messy bun.
All three of them shoot me a ‘you can’t argue with that’ look.
“Fine,” I burst out laughing. “But we really were just friends, sometimes with benefits, until now.”
“So you’re officially more than friends now?” Delilah wiggles her eyebrows before selecting a macaron.
“Actually, I don’t know what we are.” I fiddle with the corner of a fluffy blanket, chewing on my lip. “Or what I am to the rest of the pack. Adler and I haven’t even—”
“You haven’t had sex since you bonded?” Kady sits up so abruptly that her feet kick up, and bubbles slop over the sides of her foot spa.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Sabrina Maverick? You’ve been scouring heat buddy apps for months.
And now that you have knots on tap you’re not interested? ”
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” Having this level of self-control doesn’t come naturally when I’m practically drooling every time I catch sight of one of the guys in a towel. “Believe me, I very much want to. Hello, have you seen them? But…”
“But?” Faye prompts.
“I feel like Adler and I did everything the wrong way.” I blow out a leaden breath.
“We bonded before even getting to know each other. This isn’t just a casual hookup.
I don’t want our bond to be based on solely physical connection.
If all we did was fuck all the time, I don’t think we’d really get a chance to talk properly.
Does that make sense, or do I sound like I’ve lost my mind? ”
“You’re a secret romantic,” Delilah gasps, clutching her chest. “I knew it!”
I feel my cheeks heat. “I’m not!”
“Well, I think what you’re doing is a good idea.” Faye sounds proud. “Bonding is a forever thing.”
“What about the rest of the pack?” Kady tilts her head to the side. “What are they like?”
“Luca’s sweet. He likes the outdoors, and have you seen his eyes?
” I sigh melodramatically. “Super hot. Orin is totally playing hard to get, but he has this ‘come to bed’ look whenever we’re together that I’m totally vibing with.
And Drax…” I smile. “Well, he’s still the same old Drax, but he just smells stronger now.
I haven’t had the balls to ask him about what’s going on in his pants. ”
Delilah scratches her chin. “Can a knot just grow?”
Faye’s brows furrow in concentration as if she’s trying to imagine how that would work. “Maybe it’s like a life ring? It kinda expands—”
“Knot talk aside,” Kady flicks her wrist dismissively, putting an end to their speculations, which is probably a good thing; I’ve spent way too much time thinking about it myself. “This means that you’re all officially courting, right?”
“Can you really class it as courting when I’ve already bonded?” I question.
Courting is supposed to be the prelude to bonding, so it seems a little pointless.
“You haven’t bonded with all of them yet,” Faye adds.
“I guess we are then.” I nod slowly. “I haven’t been able to be apart from Adler for long, but Luca asked me to go on a date with him as soon as I can, so that’s a start.”
“And you like them?” Kady’s eyes twinkle.
“I’m not one of your interviewees!” I throw a cushion at her. “But yes, I like them. I like them a lot, if you must know. Who knows where they’ve been hiding; if I knew an available pack like them was on campus, I’d have come off my suppressants long ago.”
Delilah’s eyebrows shoot up. “You already came off your suppressants?”
“I spoke to my doctor, and she recommended it.” I push a strand of hair behind my ear.
“She said going cold turkey can help with the aftereffects from bonding sickness, so I guess that makes me a ticking heat time bomb.” I shrug like it’s nothing, stuffing a handful of potato chips into my mouth.
“I half-expected it to happen already, but I haven’t had any of the usual warning signs. ”
In fact, I haven’t even discussed my inevitable upcoming heat or coming off suppressants with the guys. Something I should probably do soon…
“As long as you’re prepared and your nest is ready for when it happens.” Delilah doesn’t sound concerned.
“Your cycle will level out in time,” Faye tells me knowingly.
“I had a few surprise… episodes…” Her cheeks get rosy.
“Especially in the first few months after bonding, while my body adjusted. Not that the guys complained.” She giggles gleefully.
“My heat cycle seems to have returned to a normal three-month cycle, which is probably a good thing because I don’t know how I’d ever get any studying done with heats happening all the time. ”
“It’s been similar for me,” Delilah shares. “I’ve had a few heat spikes here and there, but none of them lasted for too long. Hopefully, my cycle will become more regular soon. Although, heat or not, it’s pretty hard to leave the nest most days.”
“What’s the famous phrase?” I tap a finger on my chin. “Five orgasms a day keeps the doctor away? Jagger should be giving you at least ten to make up for that year apart.”
Kady gives a firm dip of her chin in agreement. “Maybe more.”
Although we’re both so happy that Delilah and Jagger have worked things out, Jagger still has plenty of making up to do in our eyes.
“Don’t say that to him, or he’ll take it as a real challenge, then he’d never finish his new album.” Delilah turns to Kady. “How are you getting on with your new suppressants? I remember you saying that you had to reduce your dose.”
“Much better. The switch has helped with my morning brain fog. Although, I’ll stop taking them over spring break.”
While suppressants are great, it’s healthy to take a break and allow your body to go through a true heat every now and again, if you can. The longer you’re on them, the less effective they usually become and more serious the side effects are.
“I’m sure the Valen Pack is already counting down the days,” I tease.
Faye snorts, the motion accidentally making her hand wobble and nudge a chocolate-dipped marshmallow onto her nose, leaving a brown blob behind.
“The decreased dose has also meant I haven’t even needed my morning coffee to wake up.” Kady continues, not acknowledging what I said.
“I’ll let Tae know that the Tea House will be out of business soon,” Delilah teases.
Her sweet beta barista’s place of work is usually our first stop on campus for a morning coffee.
“No way!” Kady looks horrified. “Just because I don’t need it to feel awake doesn’t mean that I don’t want it. Tae always has my order waiting, ready for me to pick up when I arrive.”
Delilah smiles. “I think he’s enjoying having Kady Sinclair on his good side.”
“Or he’s just afraid of you,” I snicker.
The Ward Pack went through a pretty heavy interrogation from us when they made it clear that they wanted to be in Delilah’s life.
I think all of them are still a little wary of Kady after that.
I can’t say I blame them. She’s an unstoppable badass, a law student and the daughter of one of the most powerful alphas in the country.
Definitely not someone you want to make an enemy of.
“Come in,” I call in a singsong voice when a gentle knock sounds at the door.
Adler shuffles into the room. “I have bad news.”
“What is it?” I whip my feet out of the foot spa, creating a massive splash. “Did you and Drax get into a fight? Is he okay?”
“What…?” His confusion turns to amusement. “Oh, Drax is fine.” Adler smirks. “Just busy licking his wounds after I kicked his ass at foosball.”
“You cheated,” I hear Drax growl from behind him.
Confusion has me frowning. “So what’s the bad news, then?”
“The nail tech called to cancel at the last minute.” He speaks in a somber tone, as if he’s reading a eulogy. “Something about a fallen tree blocked the road to campus.”
“That’s too bad.” I check out my nails. “I really wanted to get this fixed.”
“But we do have a solution.” Adler beckons Drax and Luca inside.
When Luca enters, he has a huge bag from Nora’s Nest Nook in his arms. It’s ripped down one side, but with Drax’s help, they’re just about managing to keep nail polishes from spilling everywhere.
“We thought this would help.” Luca sighs in relief as he puts the bag safely down on the coffee table. “I didn’t know what to get, so I asked a woman as she was leaving the store. I might have bought—”
“Everything?” I interrupt him.
There are at least fifty bottles of nail polish here, along with remover, cute little decorative gems, and enough hand lotion to keep me stocked up for the rest of my life.
“Some of them are scented.” Drax picks up a pink polish that’s rolling across the floor. “Strawberries and cream.”
I don’t have the heart to tell them that I’m wearing false nails, so I’ll definitely have to pop into the salon tomorrow. There’s a great pop-up counter in Nora’s that I go to regularly.
“That pink will suit you, Kady,” I joke.
Kady curls her fingers, reminding me of a cat retracting its claws. “Mine don’t need painting.”