24. Piper
Piper
M y pack.
That was such a weird thing to say—I had a pack and a daughter.
The first time I woke up, Clay was still wrapped around me, and even though he was the only one in the room, the others were there, in our pack bond.
It wasn't an overbearing sensation. It was like a small echo of them. Comforting and reassuring. Like no matter where I was or where I went, they would always be with me.
It just felt insanely right . How had I missed out on this all my life? Naturally, I’d read about bonding and packs in romance books and dreamed of having my own one day, but the reality was so much more.
Clay had needed to get up and run errands, so he’d kissed me goodbye and left me alone in bed. I was exhausted from the previous night, so instead of getting up like I usually would, I drifted off to sleep for another hour.
The bond was still settling, so when I finally did get up and start my day, there was an uneasy churning in my stomach. Bonding with alphas changed an omega’s genetic makeup to a degree, so it made sense that my body would feel a bit queasy while I settled into the bond.
And possessive.
And horny.
Despite being exhausted and my lady business being sore from the copious knots, I still wouldn't have said no to a few more.
“You feel like running an errand in town with me today?” Clay had asked while we congregated in the kitchen.
I was loving having all my guys around, especially since I'd half expected to wake up in the morning with them all at work.
I knew that we wouldn't be able to take a proper bonding vacation, partly because our bond wasn't planned and we weren’t exactly madly in love, even though there were feelings.
Besides, ranching was a busy lifestyle, and it stopped for no one.
“I'd like that.” I nodded. “When are you going?”
Clay cocked his head to his side, checking his watch. “Can you be ready in about an hour? Zeke hasn't got much to do today, so he can look after the little lady.”
“I'll be ready in ten minutes,” I said.
I was doing this for Maisie, but I was also doing it for me, to give myself the best possible chance to be a mother.
I hadn’t been swayed by the raw attraction between myself and my pack members. The fact that I’d been more deeply satisfied by my partners in my time at Blackwood Ranch than in my years with Pack Adamar hadn’t been the first thing on my mind. At least, that's what I was telling myself.
A pretty significant part of me had wanted to bond for my own selfish reasons. The adorable child was just the biggest silver lining known to man.
“Ten minutes? That means more cuddle time for me!” Dakota declared excitedly.
“No, it doesn't.” Montana grinned. “You’ve got work to do.”
Dakota’s face fell, and I almost laughed at how adorably disappointed he looked. “But I wanted to spend time with our pretty omega.”
“After work,” I assured him as Clay wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to his chest. I gravitated toward these alphas.
They were mine.
“So, where are we going?” I asked as we piled into one of the larger SUV’s. These guys had so many vehicles, it seemed like they had one for every occasion.
Clay looked ahead as we drove down the long dirt road out of the ranch. “I need to grab something from the post office and stop by the general store, but afterward, I was thinking maybe we should swing by the nesting supply place.”
“Nesting supplies?” I asked dumbly.
Clay nodded, still looking ahead, but the tips of his ears were slightly red. “Omegas need nests, don’t they?”
“I've got plenty of things,” I assured him. It was a lie. I didn't have that many nesting supplies, but I knew that the finances of the ranch were tight, and nesting supplies could quickly get expensive.
His eyebrows rose, and a soft snort escaped his chest. “Piper, darling, that’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard, and I live with Zeke.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, an omega could always have more nesting materials, but I can survive with what I've got, and I know they’re expensive.”
“Cost isn't an issue.” Clay shrugged.
I glowered at him, even though he couldn't see it, as his eyes were still locked firmly on the road. “No wonder you can see through my bullshit, because you are just as good at bullshitting,” I grumbled.
His laugh boomed in the small vehicle. “I assure you, city girl, there is no bullshit here. I sold one of my old bikes to pay for this.”
“Bikes?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
Clay shifted in his seat. “I used to own some pretty fancy motorcycles back in the day.
I haven't really ridden them since Maisie was born, because they are death machines on wheels, and I wanted to be there for our daughter. There was an incident where I may have driven off a small cliff and cracked my skull open, and I didn't think it would be a good idea to repeat that. So, said death machines have been sitting in one of the barns for the last few years while I’ve decided what to do with them.”
“You cracked your skull open?” I shrieked.
“Just a few stitches, but it could have been a lot worse, so I decided I wouldn't be driving those things anymore.
There's a collector in town who's had his eye on a few of them for the last few years, but I have been refusing to sell to him.
This seemed like a good enough reason to sell.
So this morning, he gave me a nice big wad of cash, and we're using that to build your nest.”
I stared dumbly at this alpha for a few moments.
He had sold something near and dear to him to fund making me a nest?
Part of me wanted to yell at him for selling something he cared about, but another part of me wanted to yell at him for not selling it sooner, considering he could have injured himself.
I was kind of glad I hadn’t known about the bikes, because I would have been terrified of him getting hurt.
“You didn't have to do that for me…” I trailed off, unsure what to say.
“You’re part of this family now, Piper, and family takes care of each other. You’re an omega and you need a nest, so we're going to make sure you have one.” He said it like it was the simplest thing.
“But I'm not exactly contributing, am I?”
“You are. You're taking care of the house. You're looking after Maisie. Contributing isn't as simple as just making money.”
I could see his logic, but I wasn't quite sure it applied, given our unique situation. “But it's not like you chose to bond with me because you love me. You chose to bond with me to save your child from a witch. Hell, Clay, you didn't even like me a week ago!”
“Oh, I liked you plenty. Probably a little bit too much. Why we chose to bond is irrelevant. We’re a family now, and that is that.
Now, you can either come with me to the nesting store and pick out supplies for yourself, or I’m just going to go and spend a stupid amount of money on nesting supplies that I think you’ll like. ”
“You are such a stubborn ass!” I growled, sitting back and crossing my arms.
The smirk on Clay's face shouldn't have been so damn attractive, but it was. “Yep. That I am. Now, are you going to be a good girl and pick out your nesting supplies?”
“I guess I'm going to have to because I'm under duress!”
He cocked his head to the side. “Good to know this tactic works.”
I gaped at him. “Oh, you ass!”
But for some reason, I couldn't wipe the small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.
As an omega, I was used to nesting supply stores. I had visited a great many in the city over the years, whether it was to pick up new sheets or simply window shop. Many teenagers went clothing shopping. Teenage omegas went nesting-supply shopping.
So, walking into the small store one town over from Sweetwater, I thought I knew what to expect. Most of the stores I had gone to were almost sterile in nature, without a single scent, but this one was smaller and filled with a scent I could only describe as comforting.
Instead of bright recessed lights, it was lit with natural light and a few yellow lamps. It was cozy and inviting.
“This place is lovely,” I hummed as we started walking through the aisles.
There were large wooden barrels piled high with blankets, squishy throw pillows, and wooden racks full of sheets. For a small store, there were an abundance of choices.
“There’s so much…” I trailed off, my head whipping around, trying to look at everything.
“We've got plenty of time, so get hunting.” Clay smiled. “Grab whatever you want.”
First, I practically tiptoed through the aisles, picking up various items before deciding whether or not they were crucial. After ten minutes of this, Clay took over and snatched anything out of my hands that I picked up and threw it into the cart.
I gravitated toward more neutral colors. Sandstone cream, light brown, those sorts of tones. An omega's color scheme was a personal choice, and I preferred my nest to be a more neutral place so my brain could switch off when I was inside.
Despite my best efforts to keep my cart only modestly full, Clay had pretty much ensured we had nearly two carts full by the end of the trip.
“Hey, can you do me a favor and go grab us a couple of coffees while I sort this out?” he asked, handing me a ten-dollar bill. “There’s a coffee shop across the street.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “The timing of this request feels suspicious…”
He shrugged. “I'm just a man who wants some caffeine.”
“We could always go together after we've checked out.”
He shook his head. “Nah, we need to get back to the ranch for the little lady.”
“You’re playing dirty,” I grumbled.
He shrugged. “We may still be getting to know each other, Piper, but I know enough to understand that you're gonna freak out when you see how much all this costs. So I'm asking you very nicely to go procure some coffee, and then we can get home.”
“And if I refuse to go?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Then I'm simply going to stand here in the middle of this store and not move and not get back to work, and everything is going to fall behind on the ranch, and Maisie will miss lunch with us…”
I snatched the bill out of his hand. “Oh, you ass! I’ll go get your coffee,” I growled, stalking out of the store and across the street.
Yes, it was a nice thing he was doing, but that didn't stop me from feeling uneasy about it.
I wanted to pull my weight in my pack, and I wasn't sure how to do that yet.
To start with, though, I was going to make a damn good dinner.