Chapter 40
FORTY
I wish I could be truthful when I say I’m not nervous to meet Dax and Everett’s families, but there’s a pit in my stomach the size of a baseball.
I feel like a human avocado, one that’s not ripe enough yet for this venture.
I’ve barely had time to enjoy being in New York City between the nervous hiccups and my alphas rushing us through the chaos. Dax adopts a very frantic and stern demeanor as we navigate our way out of the airport and through the city. It’s vastly different from his usually relaxed nature.
But I can’t lie and say his more demanding qualities don’t turn me on.
When we get to the building where his family lives, a part of me thinks it’s a mistake. It’s so tall that I can’t even see the top of it and the doorman stops us to say hello with his posh English accent.
“Are we sure we’re in the right place?” I whisper to Jett as we enter the elevator that literally looks gold-plated .
My demure alpha gives a gruntled laugh. “I see he hasn’t told you about his family.”
“What do you mean?” I ask but then I see Dax hit a button that’s separate from the others. “What are those? I’m so confused.”
Everett tries to hide his amusement but Dax just beams brightly. “We’re going to the penthouse.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “The penthouse?”
I don’t even have time for a proper freakout because this elevator might be the fastest one in the world.
The elevator pings as we reach the top and the doors open before I can catch my breath. What I see immediately makes my jaw drop back open.
Insanely high ceilings, wall-to-wall windows overlooking the entirety of New York City. Lush white furniture that looks so fluffy they could all be literal clouds. And a shiny chandelier that brings the room together and sparkles with every movement of my feet.
“Holy cow,” I blurt out, which causes my alphas to laugh.
“May I take your bag, Miss?” someone says beside me and I look over to see a real, honest-to-god butler.
“Oh… sure!” I say a bit too enthusiastically. “Thank you.”
He takes my bag first and sets off in an unknown direction. I turn back to the alpha of mine that lives here and raise a brow. “I think I’ve missed a few things here, Dax.”
He winces. “Yeah, I may have withheld a few things. But not because I didn’t trust you with it. It’s just difficult to talk about because I’m so used to it being a secret.”
“A secret? Why would it be a secret?” I ask but before I can get an answer, there’s a beautiful presence that steps out into the foyer.
“Everett!” I hear loud and shrill as an older woman makes her way to us. She’s thin and wearing a very bright dress that shows all of her personality. She hugs Everett and gives him two kisses on each cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
It’s such a simple interaction between him and his mother, but it makes me tear up.
“Hi, mama,” Everett responds, returning her affection without any shame. He gives her a big hug, and it makes me fall for my alpha even harder. When they pull apart, he walks her over to me.
Oh gosh. Okay, here we go.
“Mama, this is Rory,” Everett says, although it looks like he wants to say something else. I don’t have time to decipher it because his mom is pulling me into a hug before I can process.
I’m only ever used to hugging Opal and Stacia, so the motherly energy that I feel coming off of her makes my body tense for a second, but then I melt into her like I’ve known her my entire life.
“It’s so amazing to finally meet you, Rory,” she whispers to me while her chin is on my shoulder. “My boy has told me so much about you.”
I blink for a few seconds to keep myself from tearing up. “He’s told me a lot about you, too,” I respond, not wanting to let her go. We pull apart eventually, and she wipes her thumb under my eye like she knew I was emotional the whole time.
I want to let out a laugh. My pack and their families are really showing me that I’m not as apathetic as I think.
“Everett has told me a lot about his omega and how amazing she is in every way. I can already tell that it’s true,” she says boldly.
“ Mom . We’re not… she’s not…” Everett trails off. I know he wants to be casual about this because he doesn’t know how I’ll take being introduced as his, but I just smile big.
“Don’t be modest, boy,” his mother says, swatting at him. She looks back at me. “Or am I wrong? Are you not my son’s omega?”
I can feel all three of them tense from her straightforward question. My cheeks already hurt from being in her presence. “I am. They make it very easy.”
All three of them preen at my claim, which makes my own omega reach out to them.
I decide to change the subject. “Have you met Jett?”
And then I turn to let Everett introduce her to the other new addition to his pack. She squeezes his cheeks and the surprise on Jett’s face causes me to laugh into my hand.
“Dax.”
I turn my head then and blanch. Is that…
“You’re Cordelia Monaghan.” I give a weak point in her direction.
I think my brain re-circuits. Because why is Cordelia Monaghan in this place? First the penthouse, then an Academy Award winning actress?
Then it hits me… Dax Monaghan .
My blond alpha looks nervous as he gives his mother a hug. “Yeah, maybe I should have said something.”
Everett snorts and scoffs at the same time. “You think?”
The Cordelia Monaghan gives my boyfriend a motherly scowl. “Dax.”
He throws his hands up in surrender. “I promise it wasn’t on purpose. I told Jett. I’m just so used to keeping it a secret.”
They look back at me and I freeze. “Hi,” I say with a surprised squeak, because she’s the most beautiful person I have ever seen in real life.
She’s like old Hollywood glamor mixed with modern art all mixed into one magnetic picture.
Her blonde hair reminds me of Marilyn Monroe and her diamond earrings shine under the chandelier in the most notable way.
But she’s wearing a simple wrap dress and kitten heels that make me feel more comfortable in her immortal presence.
And she’s looking at me with the warmest grin, that I can’t help but let the anxiety fall away as quickly as it came.
“Welcome to our home, dear. I’ve heard a lot about you. Is this your first time in New York?”
I nod, still in awe over the friendly way she looks upon us. I look over and see that Jett isn’t surprised but he’s just as marveled over being this close to an Oscar winner.
My body is slowly pushed forward by Everett’s helping hand. When I get to Dax’s mother, she pulls me into a tight hug.
Holy crap . She smells like champagne grapes.
The scent of it is gentle, soothing. Her alpha energy is subdued, and I can’t lie and say it doesn’t make me a little bit emotional to see a female alpha embody this kind of benevolence. It’s not something I’m accustomed to, and I’m really happy to witness it firsthand.
It heals something inside of me, something that I didn’t think could ever be repaired.
“What the hell is going on here?”
I pull away from Dax’s mother, startled by the aggressive tone that just cut through my calm thoughts. When I turn back towards the elevators, Nicole is standing there with a suitcase, her features pulled taut with absolute disgust and shock.
“Nicole, language,” her mother scolds her. “We have guests. This is?—”
“I know who they are,” Nicole replies with a clipped tone. “We’re all in the same major. The question is, what the fuck are they doing here?”
That’s when I realize that she didn’t know we were coming. Just like Dax never told me about his family’s big secret, he never told her about me. I don’t have any siblings, but I’m sure my love life wouldn’t be the topic of choice with them if I did.
“Jett is my pack mate,” Dax tells her first, his face showing his surprise and confusion.
I never thought about whether or not he knew about his sister’s behavior, but Everett doesn’t look surprised as he crosses his arms and whispers something in his mother’s ear.
She nods her head and then finds her way out of the foyer.
“Your pack mate?” Nicole’s eyes widen. “When did that happen?”
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she looks hurt about this knowledge being kept from her. Then her eyes dart to me and the glare she reserves for me is back tenfold.
“It’s been… well… it hasn’t been that long.” Dax hesitates, realizing just how long it’s been.
“A month,” Jett states.
She flinches and a tiny bit of guilt arises. Dax must feel it, too, because he immediately starts damage control.
“I’m so sorry, Nic. I wasn’t thinking. Things have been so busy lately with Alpha Xi and hockey?—”
She interrupts him and points at me. “So, why is she here?”
Dax meets my eyes and his expression lightens. I let him take my hand. “She is my omega. This is my pack, Nicole.”
The way he says it is so light and soft, full of admiration in the best way. He is excited to share us with his family, excited to show them how happy he is. The boyish charm in it is contagious, causing me to return his happiness.
“Please tell me you’re joking.” Nicole’s voice brings us back to reality.
Dax’s smile falls and I suddenly don’t feel guilty anymore. The sadness in my alpha’s eyes completely eradicates any ounce of it. My omega growls in my chest, prepared to rip her throat out for upsetting what’s hers .
“Nicole, you’re being rude,” their mother hisses. I turn to her, completely forgetting she was in the room. I bite back my sudden aggression. This is supposed to be a good holiday. I don’t want to turn it into a cat fight.
Nicole obviously doesn’t feel the same way. “Mother, are you serious? Out of all people, these two ? They are the bane of my existence!”
“That’s just because Rory got the lead and you’re now playing her mother,” Jett points out, coming up to my side as silent support.
“The lead? In what?” their mother asks.
I decide to answer her, just so I can have any sort of control in the situation. “In our Shakespeare class. We’re studying Romeo and Juliet.”