Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Neveah
Riley and I are waiting on the front porch when Brooks’ truck pulls down the private side of our drive, away from the store and toward our house. Riley leaps to his feet, and I stand as well, taking in our future pack mates as they drive up and step out of the truck.
She’s exquisite, this sweet, brave little omega. Tinier than I remember from our picnic a few days ago, but then, we were sitting down for most of that interaction. My alpha thrums in my chest, eager to have our omega in our space, to be able to care for her and get some proper meat on her bones.
Riley is a ball of excited nerves at having her here, and warm adoration ripples through me.
He doesn’t hide who he is, always wearing his heart on his sleeve, and I love that about him.
How he clearly feels right now is exactly what’s going on inside for me too, though I may not show it as obviously.
Brooks snags a small bag from the backseat before folding Sage’s hand in his. A subtle warmth simmer in my heart at seeing him being so gentle with her, but I frown as my eyes dart between them. Is that all she brought?
Riley can’t wait any longer. He leaps down the steps, then comes to an awkward halt in front of Brooks and Sage.
“Come here,” Brooks says, scooping Riley into his arms and eliciting a laugh from my beta.
I smile, my heart expanding in my chest as that pleased warmth spreads through my veins.
Brooks’ grounding presence will be good for all of us.
When he lets go, Brooks turns Riley to face Sage, letting them sort themself out as he strides up to me.
To my surprise, he scoops me into a hug too.
I barely hold in the undignified squawk of surprise, and then that warmth blossoms into desire, anticipation and need pulsing through me at the feel of his strength surrounding me.
I suck in a deep lungful of his earthy scent, relishing how profound it is now that he’s not wearing the dampeners and is free to let his true emotions out.
Then I realize… He needs this—physical comfort—from me.
He’s been holding all of this on his shoulders, much of it before Riley and I were even part of the picture.
Brooks needs support too, and I’m happy to be that for him.
My jumbled emotions settle into a steady stream of belonging and peace, the knowledge that this is fundamentally right.
I tighten my arms around him, our heights are comparable, but his wide form overtakes mine easily. When we pull apart, Riley is chattering to Sage, snagging her hand to pull her up to the house. Her eyes are wide as she takes it all in, but she hasn’t shut down yet, so that’s good.
Brooks and I exchange an understanding look at how big of a step this is, and subsequently how close to breaking Sage could be. Sensing she needs guidance, I open the front door.
“Everybody in, shoes off, then head to the kitchen. Let’s get some food going.”
Sage immediately complies with my instructions. Riley and then Brooks trail behind her. I sit Riley on one of the barstools, then pull out the one next to it for Sage.
She hesitantly perches on the edge, glancing between me and Riley, then around the kitchen. I run a hand through Riley’s silky hair, then lean against the counter next to Sage.
“May I?” I ask, holding up a hand.
She swallows hard, then nods. Before I can move, though, Brooks pointedly clears his throat. He’s standing on the other side of the counter facing us, leaning back against the sink with his arms loosely folded over his chest.
Sage’s gaze flies to his, and I twist to look at him as well.
“Use your words, Petal,” he says.
I’ll need to ask him more about that later. I don’t doubt he has a good reason, but I also don’t appreciate being interrupted. I’m happy to wait for verbal confirmation, though, so I turn back to Sage with a slight smile on my face.
“Yes, um…” she trails off, looking uncertain.
“What is it?” I ask.
“What should I call you?”
“You can call me whatever you’d like. Vee is fine.”
“You don’t want me to call you alpha?”
“Look at me,” I say, bringing her downcast eyes up to mine. I search her gaze, not liking that I don’t have answers to where this is coming from. Why Brooks needs her words, and she is clearly uncomfortable about what to call me. “What’s this about, Sage?”
She looks down again, fingers twisting together in her lap. “I’ve just always been taught to call them ‘alpha’ to show respect and submission.”
“Hmm,” I say. I suspect she wasn’t truly respecting or submitting to whoever these alphas are, but rather complying out of a sense of duty and survival.
“I don’t need you to show me your respect or submission.
Not in that way, and not until I earn it.
You can call me alpha if you want, but I’m happy with Vee or Neveah, too. ”
“Okay,” she whispers, not seeming convinced.
I offer a gentle smile, then raise my hand again.
“May I, Sage?”
She returns my smile this time with a shy one of her own. “Yes, Vee.”
I cup her cheek and slowly brush one thumb along her cheekbone. Then I thread my fingers into her wavy hair and gently scratch my nails along her scalp. Sage’s eyes roll back in her head and she leans into my touch, eyelids fluttering.
“Perfection,” I murmur.
My lips spread into a satisfied smile, although my heart pangs with how clearly touch-starved she is. I can sense her omega needing more, I just hope she lets us give it to her.
“Welcome home, sweet omega,” I say.
Sage’s eyes pop open in surprise, but I don’t give her a chance to contradict my statement. I snag a muffin from the basket on the counter and press it into her hand.
“Fresh from the bakery this morning,” I say. “Do you have any allergies? Food sensitivities?”
“I don’t think so,” she says.
“Good,” I say, nodding at the muffin. “Eat it, then we’ll give you a tour if you’d like.”
I stand and walk to the fridge. “Orange juice, apple juice, tea, or water?”
Sage doesn’t answer until I turn around and raise my eyebrows at her. She glances at Brooks and Riley, who have been quietly watching the exchange.
“Um, water?”
I fill a glass from the fridge filter and set it in front of her, then turn to the cupboard and pull out a mug and hot chocolate mix. My thoughts race as I try to figure out the best course of action, how to set her at ease.
“Brooks, Riley? You two want anything?” I’m hoping she’ll relax if I take some of the attention off of her.
Brooks goes to shake his head, but I raise an eyebrow and dart my eyes at Sage with my back to her.
He changes his mind and snags a banana from the fruit basket.
My heart jumps at the implications of him conceding to me so easily.
“I’ll have some tea,” Riley says, glancing at Brooks. “Chamomile, maybe?”
I grin at him and wink, then turn to make his tea alongside Sage’s hot chocolate.
When I set it in front of her, she stares at it with wide, unblinking eyes.
“Oh, what… What is it?”
I blink once, doing my best to keep my expression neutral. Riley squeaks, quickly turning it into a cough as he sputters into his tea.
“Hot,” he says when Sage looks over at him, gesturing to the mug and then fanning his mouth.
“It’s hot chocolate. Give it a sip, see what you think,” I say.
Sage eyes it skeptically, and I guess if you’ve never had it before, it does look a little unappetizing. Brownish grey with bits of dark brown floating on top? Hmm.
She sniffs it, then takes a tentative sip and immediately hums in appreciation. It sends a zing of pleasure down my spine, and Riley shuffles in his seat at her moan when she takes a longer sip.
None of us say anything, though, not wanting to diminish her pleasure or risk her stopping. When they’ve all finished their snacks, we take Brooks and Sage on a tour, showing them the guest rooms where they’ll be staying and where anything they might need is kept.
Then I lead everyone to the living room. It’s evening by now, almost dinner time, but I want to get some bonding time in before we settle back in the kitchen for a meal.
I sink onto the couch, then stretch one arm along the back cushion and pat the spot next to me.
“Come here, sweet Sage.”