Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
Despite the minor hiccups, the entire day goes by with a bang.
Rory and I both get along with every parent here, which is a feat when there’s so many of them in one place.
I always thought that if I did have pack mates I’d end up clashing with their families, probably because I don’t bring a lot to the table with acting, but that’s not an issue here.
This family is meant for someone like me.
They fully accept and understand the dream I am reaching for.
After dinner, we were all directed to the den (it was a second living room) to watch a holiday movie.
Well, everyone but Nicole who dipped out the first chance she got.
The movie was an old family classic, one with an exploding turkey and an in-law that can’t accept that their child is growing up. All the usual cliches.
The only stipulation for the movie was that Cordelia wasn’t in it.
It’s a rule they have in their family, apparently.
Dax says it’s because his mother gets second-hand embarrassment so she never watches her own stuff.
It apparently keeps her from being self-conscious when she gets back behind the camera. Relatable.
Afterwards, I head to my room to take a shower.
Dax clued me in about his plans for the night and I’m already buzzing.
Technically it’s a surprise for Rory, but I am just as excited as she will be when she finds out what we’re doing.
And I definitely don’t want to smell like gravy and stuffing when we go.
It takes me a few moments to navigate the penthouse. We each get our own rooms, technically, but I know we’ll pick one to all pile in later. It’s been that way the past week. Usually Rory and I sneak into their room at Alpha Xi because they’re too sore to move after practice most days.
When I find my room, I don’t even turn the lights on.
I just go straight to my suitcase on the floor and fumble around for clean clothes because of how dark it is in here.
You’d think with the wall-to-wall windows that there would be light, but it’s covered by a dark shading, blocking any natural light from coming in.
I pull my shirt over my head, trying to make my shower quick, but I can’t find my shampoo.
I could have sworn it was right here in the side pocket of my duffle bag.
I fumble around for a few more seconds before a frustrated sound leaves me.
I give up and go back to the door to turn the light on.
It blinds me for half a second. When the room comes into focus, I flinch at the person in my bed, thinking it’s a ghost. My back hits the wall with a hard thump as familiar blonde hair emerges from underneath the covers.
The smell of my shampoo wafts toward me and a gag rises in my throat.
“Nicole?! What the fuck!” I practically yell at her. My alpha instincts are going haywire. I feel like I can’t get far enough away from her.
“You were giving me eyes at dinner,” she lies, giving a pout. She sits up straight, her bare shoulders exposing from under the covers.
Holy fuck, is she naked in my bed?!
“You know that’s not true,” I growl, feeling violated. Thank god I haven’t actually slept in that bed yet or scent marked it. The idea of any other woman besides Rory having my scent on them makes me feel gross.
Before Nicole can answer, the collective scent of my pack comes through the door. I freak out, realizing my shirt is still off. Rory gives me a smile, but then she looks behind me and sees Nicole. A deep omega growl emits from her chest. It rumbles so deeply that I feel it in my stomach.
“What the fuck!?” Dax exclaims, covering his eyes. “Cole, what the fuck are you doing?!”
I immediately put my hands up like it’ll show I have nothing to do with this, but I can’t lie and say it doesn’t look suspicious. I should have kept my shirt on until I got into the bathroom.
“I swear, nothing is going on.” I panic and try to catch Rory’s eye but she’s still glaring in Nicole’s direction. I stumble through my explanation. “I just came in here to take a shower and she was already here and I couldn’t find my shampoo?—”
“We know, Jett,” Everett says, the calm in the storm. “We all know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt Rory. We’re just trying to figure out why Nicole thinks this is okay in any way.”
I give a sigh of relief, but not completely. Everett knows me, so does Dax, but Rory still won’t look at me. I won’t be completely okay until I hear her say she knows nothing happened.
“Seriously, though!” Dax blurts out, not caring about his volume in the slightest. He turns his head in the direction of the bed but is hesitant to uncover his eyes. “And don’t give me some bullshit story that you got confused. This has never been your room.”
More people rush in through the doorway and I heave a heavy sigh. Fuck , all of their parents are here.
“Oh, dear Jesus.” Everett’s mom literally clutches her pearls when she sees Nicole in the bed and turns away.
I quickly step over to get my shirt off the floor and quickly pull it over my head as Dax and Nicole keep fighting.
“What the hell is going on here?” Cordelia is the loudest, her alpha demeanor cutting through the chaos.
“Nicole decided it would be completely normal and sane to crawl into my pack mate’s bed!” Dax says with a dramatic flair.
Their parents all look scandalized over the situation. Their father Richard, the attorney, crosses his arms with a disappointed look.
“I can’t help it if your pack mate has wandering eyes,” she says with a malicious grin. I take a few steps away, feeling a sting behind my eyes, but Everett cuts in.
“There’s no way to get out of this, Nicole. Leave my pack mate out of your mess.”
She wrinkles her nose at him. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were the hot one.”
Charlie cuts in. “You’re being highly inappropriate.”
Nicole literally rolls her eyes at her beta father and crosses her arms. “Yeah, yeah. Take his side like always.”
Dax loses it. “You can never let me have anything nice! This is my pack, my family ,” Dax adds, talking directly to Nicole.
“THIS is your fucking family, you don’t need them !” she yells back, the covers at risk of falling off her body as she gets amped up.
He looks like he’s about to pull his hair out. “Why can’t you just be happy for me?! ”
“Oh, fine. I’m happy for you,” she says sarcastically. “Happy for smart, talented Dax who gets to have the pack of his dreams! Woo-hoo!”
“ Quiet ,” their mother barks, which has an instant effect. Dax and Nicole stop talking, so still in their standoff that you’d think she turned them into statues. Surprisingly, Rory doesn’t react to the bark. Her omega is still focused on the audacity of the beta in front of her.
After a few tense and somber moments, Dax huffs an agitated sigh. “I can’t be around her right now.” He looks over at all three of us. “We’re leaving.”
He marches out of the room before we can respond, leaving his parents to deal with their delusional—or maybe just manipulative—daughter. I don’t even look at her as I follow Rory and Everett out of the room.
“I’ll go talk to Dax. Get your shoes and we’ll leave in a few minutes.” Everett kisses her on the forehead and leaves us to track down our exasperated pack member.
I follow Rory to her room, still feeling anxious over the entire thing. “Rory, I?—”
“You don’t have anything to explain or apologize for, Jett,” she tells me, pulling me further into the room so we can talk in private. There’s some yelling still happening down the hall in what was supposed to be my room, but it’s tuned out. White noise. Nothing else matters but my omega.
“You’re the strongest person I know,” I whisper, feeling unsure. “If I had walked into that kind of scenario, I would have freaked out. My alpha would have gone haywire. You had every reason to completely freak out and you didn’t.”
“That’s because I know you would never do anything like that to me. If you wanted to be with Nicole, you would be. You’ve been in the same class for months now. And all that time, you’ve been focused on me. ”
She says it like it’s simple, like this didn’t cause a ruckus between us.
The look in her eye makes me feel vulnerable, like she sees me.
Finally sees me. All those months where she was living her life and I was just in the background, pining for her.
It all plays through my mind as clearly as today has.
“Jett, I love you.”
My heart falters. Stutters. Fucking leaps a mile a minute at the confession. The happiness I’ve been waiting to feel from those words shoots out of me. I can’t control the strong leather-filled amber that drifts out or the grin that takes over my face.
Instead of responding, I take her face and pull it to mine.
When they merge, an explosion of lust blooms. The place where our lips are touching feels charged with electricity as I try my best to convey to her how I’m feeling with every stroke.
When her arms wrap around me, trying to get closer, I groan involuntarily, my chest vibrating with a purr.
When she pulls away, her smile is dopey and cute and everything good. Her cranberry scent is better than anything I’ve ever smelled in my life. I want to pour it into my veins, keep it with me as close as I possibly can.
“I love you, too,” I say, my voice raspy from the dehydrating kiss. “More than anything in the world. My beautiful scent match.”
Rory preens under my touch, and I feel so fortunate. This side of her is meant for me, for my pack, and no one else. She deserves all the praise and comfort that she wants. Everything .
Someone clears their throat behind us and we zip around at the sound, but it’s only Everett. He’s in the doorway, a happy smirk curving on his face. “Dax knows where we’re going. He said we can get our stuff later, he just wants to get out of here as soon as possible.”
I nod, agreeing with that. The sooner we’re out of here, the more settled our omega will be. I grasp her hand in mine. “Are you ready to see New York with me, Omega?”