Chapter Nine
Hema
Did I want to join them?
More than anything, but also less.
The alpha I’d seen walking past the shop that day, Altan, was the one who invited me, but he was asking me to come and sit with all of them.
While they placed their orders, they’d been charming, but in fact no more than that.
And hot guys, in my limited experience, had a rough time turning off the charm.
They were getting married, and even if they wanted a little omega on the side, they wouldn’t be announcing it in a public place. So, I did the only thing a businesswoman could do. Did I want to join them? More than anything, but not for reasons that were entirely honorable.
“I’ve got a few minutes before I need to return to the shop.
” Standing, I picked up my iced tea and followed him to the booth at the back.
The guy in black, I thought his name was Orin, slid out and let me get in, which put me at the back middle, unable to leave unless one of them let me out or, if desperation struck, I could crawl under the table. Wouldn’t that be professional.
As we all got settled, the server came and refilled everyone’s iced tea and winked at me. My cheeks burned. I wanted to tell her it was just business, but that seemed like more information than a person should share with the person filling their beverage at a diner. She could think what she wanted.
“Would you like some pie?” Sovann asked. He seemed the most laid-back of the three, and his arm casually lay over the back of the booth behind my shoulder. “It’s very good.”
“No, thank you. I don’t have time. But it looks very good.” That’s good. Polite and friendly. But sitting there surrounded by the three of them, scents of delicious desserts filling my nose, holding myself aloof was not happening. Or at least, I was holding on by my fingertips.
“I didn’t know we had a new flower shop in town,” Altan said conversationally. “Then I took a different walking route to work and there you were.”
“Yes, there I was.” And telling him I’d rushed to the window to get a better look at his ass, or all of him, would not contribute to my respect for whatever female they were marrying.
They must love her a lot to be willing to step past the traditional mating and marking and do something so clearly just to celebrate her.
None of the alphas I’d known would have done that for sure.
Great! I’d found the only three alphas, well, besides Tawny’s and Karissa’s packs, who knew how to treat an omega, and someone else had already won them.
Mates, my wolf asserted. Ours.
No, they are some other bride’s.
Wow…a bride. I supposed if an omega got lucky enough to be hooked up with her true mates, her fated pack, the traditional mating and marking might be enough.
But a whole wedding with cake and flowers and friends to congratulate her?
Wow. And that was why I could positively confirm these were not my mates.
If they were, they would not be head over heels about someone else.
The server came back again to refill us, and I held my hand over my glass. I wasn’t staying long enough to drink any more tea.
“How long have you been in town?” asked Orin, his dark eyes intense and focused on me. Was that a pickup line? So confusing.
“Awhile. I worked at a few different places before opening the shop.”
“I’m amazed I didn’t see you at any of them.” Sovann smiled, easy and relaxed in his demeanor.
I swayed a little toward him, like a bee to a flower, before straightening again.
With Altan so commanding and Orin’s cool, Sovann might seem like the one to be least concerned about, but as we spoke about ordinary things, he chipped away at my walls, and I found myself relaxing.
Not quite forgetting that these males were taken but maybe not remembering quite every second.
Turned out, he did a lot of the everyday-life stuff for their pack, which was why he commented that he should have run into me at some point.
“Have you noticed that the produce prices have been higher than they should be at this time of year?” he asked. A question most omegas would have said yes to right away. But not this one.
“No. I mostly buy frozen dinners.”
“Oh, that’s not good. They’re full of salt and chemicals.”
“Hopefully not too many chemicals.” I winced. “With my shop hours and making deliveries in the evenings, I don’t have a whole lot of time to cook.”
“That’s a shame.” He let his arm drop from the booth back to my shoulder long enough to give me a pat before lifting it again. Before it was inappropriate. Before I could protest. “Nutrition is so important. We grow a lot of our own vegetables, but not all.”
“Oh, you have a garden.” Why did I sound so amazed? Most people around here did. There were a lot more houses than apartments in this town. “Do you grow any flowers?”
“A few, but mostly just things like marigolds to deter pests.”
“Does that really help?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” He pulled out his phone and, leaving that one arm behind me, showed me pictures of his vegetable garden. It was surrounded by open space, and I took the phone, scrolling through photos of tomatoes and zucchini and watermelons and all sorts of things.
“You have more room to expand.”
“I sure do. Hey, why don’t you come over one night for dinner and you can have a decent meal and give me ideas about flowers.”
I froze. This was so inappropriate. “Goddess. This is why I don’t date shifters.
Let me out of here. Oh, never mind!” I ducked under the table and crawled out.
Pausing at the counter, I paid Jenny’s and my bill and stormed out into the street.
They were getting married, were already mated, and were trying to get me over to their house?
What would their mate think of that? Ugh!