Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
The soup shop Onyx found was the perfect fit for my sudden craving. Their menu rotates every week, attempting to lure me into regular visits. I ordered a white bean soup that was delicious and filling. The fresh baked bread paired with it was to die for.
“So we’re definitely coming back next week, right?” Caleb jokes, his arm around my shoulders as we walk back to the car.
“I’m in. That was amazing.”
He chuckles, pressing his lips to my forehead beneath his beanie. I shivered when we walked out of the restaurant and he immediately dropped it on my head.
Snow coats the sidewalk, a lot thicker now than when we arrived. It’s so pretty out, but I can’t help but worry about the drive back to the house.
“Darling, there’s an office supply store down the street. Why don’t we pop in and find your journals? We can save shopping for Caleb’s room for better weather.” Quentin reads me like an open book, already having found a way to ease my worry without pointing it out.
Fates, I love that man.
“Sounds wonderful, Alpha, thank you.”
We’re in the car and heading home in no time.
“Are Sterling and Bellamy already home?”
I can’t help but worry as the snow falls in thicker sheets.
“Yes, bubbles. Sly already text to let us know they were home and had gotten Mama Aisha settled for the evening.”
Tilting my head up to his, I laugh when his beard tickles my nose, enjoying the abrasive texture when he rubs the scruff along my cheek. “Do you think we’ll be able to build a snowman this weekend?”
He hums, glancing outside before tucking me closer to his chest. “We can try. I can’t tell from here if the snow is packable. Might still be too early in the year.”
It’s been so long since I lived somewhere with snow that it feels like all snow should be packable. Maybe that’s my instinct to play talking. A fun day outside with my pack will be amazing.
The house is warm when we get home, stealing the chill from my bones. I shudder as I strip my coat off and kick my boots onto the mat.
“Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?” Caleb asks, walking backwards toward the kitchen.
I can hear the mixer running, so I follow him, curious to find out what Sterling is making. “Tea. My throat is still sore from the heat.”
We find Sly mixing up a batch of gooey chocolate chip cookies mixed with brownie pieces. They smell amazing as they bake, and my stomach rumbles. “Didn’t they feed you, precious?” Sly teases, washing his hands before he wraps me in his arms.
I melt into his, soaking up his tangerine and rosewood scent. “They did. But now I want dessert.”
“Dessert like a cookie, or dessert like sucking someone’s cock? If it’s the latter, I volunteer.” Bellamy calls from the doorway to the living room.
Snorting, I turn my cheek to Sly’s chest and peek at my Beta mate. “Hello to you too, Bee.”
Sterling kisses the top of my head before he steps away to open the oven, removing a tray of heaven. “Why don’t you go get cozy with Bee? Start a movie? I’ll bring these in after they cool.”
Pressing a kiss to his cheek, I skip over to Bellamy, who leans me over his arm for a surprisingly tame kiss. When I raise a brow, his cheeks blush the cutest shade of pink. He opens his hoodie pocket and a tiny nose pokes out.
“Mochi.”
“She was lonely, so I brought her down to hang out with me,” he admits, passing her into my arms.
“Aw, Bee. You’re so sweet. Isn’t he, Mochi?” Nuzzling her fur, I keep her tucked against me while we walk to the couch.
Quentin appears as we’re sitting down, one of Caleb’s hoodies in his hands. I slide it on, spinning it backwards so the hood is on the front. Perfect for Mochi to chill in.
“So, what’s on the menu tonight, dandelion? Crime show? Cooking competition? Romantic thriller?” Bellamy spreads his arms across the back of the couch, his fingers playing with the ends of my hair.
“There’s a new medical drama Cora’s been raving about,” Caleb says as he plops down on Bee’s other side. Their bodies are pressed close together, and I love the look my Alpha gives him. Smokin’ hot is too bland of a description for these two.
Emmett joins us, hair mussed from his nap. “Are you talking about Mercy General? Isolde and Oskar have been binging it.”
“Isolde is willingly watching a medical show?” My sister-by-mating is not a fan of them because of how inaccurate they usually are. As a doctor, I bet it would bug her to be constantly pulled out of the story when the actors do something that would harm a patient in real life.
“Apparently,” Em shrugs, crawling onto the couch beside me. He lays his head on my thigh and grabs one of my hands, dropping it onto his hair. “I guess it’s the most accurate one she’s seen clips of. And the tension between the two main doctors is impossible to pass up.”
Carding my fingers through his auburn hair, I glance at Bellamy. “Let’s see what the fuss is about.”
The rest of my mates join us as we get it queued onto the TV. We cuddle and eat cookies, ending a stressful day in the best way possible.
I wake in the middle of the night shivering. The house is freezing. Crawling from between Emmett and Quentin, I head into the hallway and immediately notice the small light above Mochi’s cage is off.
A quick check confirms it is plugged in, so I step into Bellamy’s room and flip on his light. Nothing happens. The power must be out.
Tiptoeing back to my bed, I gently shake Quentin. He wakes instantly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s no power. Or heat.”
He reaches over and thumps Emmett, who glares until he sees me standing beside the bed.
“Come on, we have to move to the sitting room.”
“Fuck, it’s cold,” Emmett whines when his bare feet hit the floor. “C’mere, sweetheart, I’ll give you a piggy back ride downstairs.”
Quentin stops to grab a bunch of spare blankets to bring with us. “Let’s get you settled, then I’ll wake the others. We’ll have a pack puppy pile by the fireplace. There should be enough wood to last the night.”
As he drops the blankets and spreads them out, I jump from Emmett’s back and cross to the window to peek outside. “We should check on Mama Aisha.”
I can’t see the apartment from here, but I know it has to be as cold as the main house, if not colder.
“Don’t worry, darling. She has an oil heater to use if the apartment gets cold. I doubt she’ll agree to let us drag her up here in the middle of the night.”
True, she’s too stubborn to leave her place because of cold weather. Still, I’ll feel better after one of us has at least spoken to her.
Quentin disappears, returning several minutes later with the rest of my mates. Sterling already has his phone pressed to his ear, his mother’s voice filling the line.
“Come on, bunny. Cuddle and try to get some more sleep.” Caleb beckons me to the blanket pile where he’s already curled up and waiting. I tuck myself into his arms, snickering when Bellamy presses himself to my back and immediately starts snoring into my hair.
“Can we play outside in the morning?”
“Only if the power is back on,” Onyx agrees.
The fire crackles, slowly heating the room. I’m nice and warm between my mates, and I drift back to sleep to their steady breaths.
Light shines through the large window that runs along one side of the sitting room, blinding me when I wake again. The fire is smaller but still burning, keeping the cold air at bay.
My mates are still sleeping around me. The symphony of their snoring provides the best soundtrack to my morning.
I have to pee, though, so I shuffle from beneath Caleb’s arm, biting back a giggle when Bellamy instantly rolls into my spot and cuddles with our Alpha.
The floors are ice cold, so I dart upstairs to use my bathroom and grab a pair of slippers from my closet.
I throw on a pair of thick wool leggings under my sweatpants for added warmth.
A quick flip of the light switch shows we still don’t have power, so I’ll need the extra layers to stay warm until it is restored.
Pausing in the hallway, I greet Mochi, petting her soft little head. “Good morning, little sidekick. Are you warm enough there? Want to come cuddle?” She climbs right into my hands when I hold them out, squeaking cheerily when I slide her into my hoodie pocket.
“Let’s go set up a zoomie corner in the sitting room until the heat is back on.” Grabbing a few of the extra panels from her cage and some climbing toys, I quietly head downstairs.
My noise wakes Quentin, who blinks several times before he sits up and pulls his phone out. He’s likely checking with the electric company for an estimate to when the power will be back on. Catching him grimacing at the screen, I assume we aren’t going to like the answer.
“Morning, darling,” he whispers, leaning down to kiss my temple.
He winces when he steps from the rug onto the floor, the cold seeping into his feet.
“I see you brought Mochi down to join us. Good thinking. They say we should have power by eight tonight, so she will need the heat of the fire to stay warm.”
Smiling up at him, I scoop my sidekick out of my pocket and let her run around the new mini-cage. “I was worried she would be cold.”
“I’m going to grab slippers and see what we can do for breakfast.”
Following him upstairs, I slip into Bellamy and Emmett’s rooms to grab them slippers or thick socks. Then I head back down to do the same for the others. If I had thought of it earlier, I would have had them ready before my mates woke up. No one should have to suffer through icicle toes.
Quentin rifles through the kitchen, his scowl deepening. “It appears like our options are cereal or yogurt bowls. The stove is electric, but the grill in the outdoor kitchen is propane, so we should be able to use it for lunch and dinner. After we clear a path.”
Tucking my head against his chest, I slide my hands beneath his sweater. He jolts when my hands find his back, the icy cold startling against his warm skin. “I’m not really hungry,” I admit. “We can wait for the others to wake up. Unless you want to eat something now.”
A soft grin stretches across his lips, so sweet that it makes my teeth ache. “I’m fine for now. Would you like to curl up on the couch with me and read a book?” One hand runs through my messy hair, brushing it away from my face.
“I’d love that.”
Cuddled beneath a blanket, we spend our morning reading and tending the fire. The guys wake slowly over the next couple of hours, their voices groggy and their bodies sore from sleeping on the floor.
“No power until tonight?” Onyx grumbles, mussing his black and red hair. “I’m guessing the roads aren’t passable yet either?”
“They are not. We have wood behind my office to last a few days, so we’ll have heat. As for food, if we brave the cold and clear a path to the outdoor kitchen, we should be able to use it to cook.”
Sterling is standing at the window, his hands on his hips. “Bellamy and I can do that. I want to go check on Mama anyway. Clear a path between here and the garage in case she needs us.”
“Hell yeah. I’ll get dressed and we can go play in the snow. You gonna join us, dandelion?” Bee claps his hands, already jumping to his feet. He’s likely to lose his mind being stuck in one room all day, so this will be a good way for him to burn some of his energy off.
“Not until the power is back on,” I tell him, trying not to pout. Onyx will have a fit if I catch a cold from going out there and not being able to warm up properly after. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to go, just that I don’t want to irritate my Alpha.
My largest mate walks over to squat in front of me, his finger popping my bottom lip from where it is trapped between my teeth. “The snow will still be here tomorrow, bubbles. We can have an outside snow day then. Promise.”
I nip at his thumb, fire sparking between my thighs when he growls low and dangerous. “Behave. I’m going to help Sly and Bee for a bit. If you’re good, we’ll fuck you nice and hard when we’re finished.”
“Yes, Alpha. I’ll try.”
He kisses me quickly before he jogs after the others, leaving me wet and bored.
Caleb scoots over to lean against the front of the couch, his head falling back against my lap. He’s still half-asleep, his eyes fluttering closed when I smooth my hand over his hair.
“What do you say to a board game sweetheart, while Bellamy is occupied outside?” Emmett suggests, already perusing the shelves of games he brought from LA.
“Count me in. Caleb? Quentin?”
The four of us spend the rest of the early afternoon playing games and laughing huddled on the floor in front of the fire.