Chapter 32
ESPER
After a few more hours of sleep and a shower, I leave my Packmates in the nest while I sneak downstairs. The Bar is pretty empty, but I spot the rainbow-colored halo of curls and try to quickstep my way to the pretty bartender.
“Jewels?” I ask, hoping and praying I got her name right. We’ve only talked one time. Maybe I'm comfortable, or feeling confident after my heat, because I’d normally never approach someone, but I need some girl time.
Jewels turns around with a smile that rivals the sun. She stops. Seeing her dressed in jeans and a slouchy sweater that shows off her delicate shoulder, my own appearance dawns on me.
Smoothing my wet hair down, now wishing I made more effort in my appearance. Dressed in Soren’s t-shirt and Reed’s sweatpants, rolled twice and sized to fit with an elastic in the back. I grimace to myself, knowing it's too late to change.
“Hey, girly!” Jewels says as I catch up to her.
“Hi, um, what are you up to? Are you free?” I was suddenly unable to talk like a normal human being.
“Caught me at the perfect time, I was just about to go for a walk around the Plaza… Do you want to join?”
My face flushes despite literally not having to do the heavy lifting of this invitation, and I nod my head.
“I always need some space after a heat too.” She winks, and I nervously laugh. A bit embarrassed thinking she knows what I was up to for four whole days.
“Just really needed some air.”
We make it outside the bar. The sidewalk here is well kept.
Minimal cracks and the thin rows of grass are neat on each side.
The sun shines, warming my cold skin. Bikes upon bikes line the parking lot.
So maybe everyone is sleeping? It is the middle of a Thursday.
I think the usual end of the week party starts tonight, maybe tomorrow. I can’t remember what Reed had told me.
Bar nights are big. A chance for the whole MC to get together. Fridays, of course I think are the main events, but Thursdays are the pre-party?
“No bites? Wow, your mates are strong,” Jewels says quite loudly, making my skin redder as she searches all around my neck. Even going as far as to do a whole circle around me. “I was so sure they’d eat you up.”
“They are gentlemen,” I say, which has Jewels laughing so hard she doubles over.
“Neven, yeah, maybe. The rest? Yeah, no. Maybe with just you.”
“No matter how much I begged,” I say and she nods.
“Good. They are good to you, right?”
“More than good, to be honest.”
“If not, just let me know and I'll get my mates to straighten them out!” She flexes her arms and I laugh.
“Who are your mates? I haven’t had a chance to meet everyone here yet,” I ask and her eyes light up.
“One Eye,” she says, pulling out her phone and showing me her lock screen. A photo of three people come up. She’s in the middle, and to her left stands a Black man with long curly hair, a full healthy beard, and a patch over one eye. “He helps out at Coal’s.”
“I love everyone at Coal’s,” I mutter, thinking about how a burger from there would be so good right around now.
“The other one is DJ. I’m sure you’ve seen him.”
I have, one time I think. He’s of Mexican descent.
I think Native. He’s got longer hair too, but not as long as One Eye’s, or even Reed’s.
Though it looks very thick and curls slightly at the ends.
He has dark tan skin and a wonderful smile.
The way he’s looking at the other two in the photo makes me smile.
“You have a beautiful Pack.”
“Thank you!” She takes her phone back and slides it into her pocket. “So do you, though I don’t know how you deal with all of them. That's so many...”
“I manage,” I say and we both giggle. Kicking rocks along as we near the small neighborhood.
“Hey! I haven’t had a chance to meet the new girl!
” a voice calls as we turn around to head back towards the bar.
I turn to see who it is and spot a Black woman with a gorgeous afro and wide brown eyes.
She’s just a little bit taller than me, and she approaches with a friendly smile.
“I’m Lacy, and so damned glad we got another younger woman here now. ”
“Well, she’s not bonded in yet, so don't jump the gun too fast,” Jewels says, but Lacy waves her off.
“Only a matter of time.” She pulls me into a hug, and—fresh from my heat as I am—I have to resist the urge to nuzzle against her soft pink sweater set that is honestly cute as heck.
Wow.
“Where did you get this? I love it,” I say as she pulls away and she nods.
“I know, right? I got it from the mall! We’ll all have to go together sometime.”
“I would love that!” A smile graces my face as that feeling of finally making friends settles under my skin. We get to talking about clothes, then movies and TVshows.
I don’t have to think about what I say next or be careful of my words. I don’t have to worry about upsetting them or hiding my omega nature. I can just be. I also don't have to carry the conversation. It just goes, and I…
I wish I could have this with Penny too.
A pang of longing shoots through me. I pull my phone out, realizing I hadn’t even checked it since before my heat.
Five days I’ve been gone from the dorm, and not a single notification from Penny. Sour acid coats my stomach, but I shake it off, focusing on the messages that did come in.
I have two from my mom, four from my dads, all in the group chat. Gosh, I need to call them. (Well, mainly my mom. I'll let her share the news how she sees fit.)
The guys need to meet my parents! They’ll love them, I’m sure. My dads are cool, Mom will adore them. Especially Soren with all the jewelry he wears.
Harley, my little sister, may try to steal them from me. I laugh a bit at my phone.
“That post-heat has your phone blowing up, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, I didn't have time to tell anybody.”
“Normally how it goes with this one,” Lacy says jokingly, punching a blushing Jewels in the arm. “She just disappears for a few days and I go, oh, her body needed some good dicking.” That has us all laughing like we’d been joking and teasing for years together.
“Do you have a mate, Lacy?” I ask and she beams.
“I do. We don’t do heats of course. We don’t have an omega, but my mate’s an alpha so we occasionally have ruts to deal with. My mate is Cobra, Asher’s boss. He’s the South Asian hottie you see around here sometimes. He’s pretty shy so he normally sticks to me.”
“That's so cute,” I say as Jewels opens the door to the Bar.
“Ahh, there are the omegas… and the extra.”
The voice makes my skin crawl, in a way I unfortunately recognize. The prospect from before. The one who has a thing against betas and thinks boundaries are suggestions.
“Kiss my ass, Cyclops.” Lacy is quick with her reply. We walk into the air-conditioned Bar. Folks start bringing chairs down and grabbing the wet floor signs. The LED lights are turned on and the shades around the windows are closed.
It’s definitely getting ready for something.
“No, thank you,” Cyclops spits, his eyes like venom on Lacy. I wonder what he's still doing here if he looks at women like this. I’ve yet to meet the Prez, AKA Reed’s dad, but I thought this MC would be different from that.
Maybe I have a lot more to learn about my Pack and their family, this MC.
“Better yet, fall off a cliff and drown,” Lacy quips back and Cyclops pretends to be hurt, putting a hand to his chest.
“Oh, I thought sweetbutts were, well, sweet.”
“Not for you, asshat.”
“How can you omegas hang around such vileness?”
“Well, we’re standing here in your presence, aren't we?” Jewels says and I can’t help but let out a laugh that I wish I could take back when his creepy blue eyes land on me.
“So, pretty lady, are you gonna give me a chance this time?” he says and before he can even finish his sentence my head is already shaking.
“No.” Remembering that no is a full sentence.
“What?” He makes a grab for my arm as we walk past him. Jewels slaps his hand away, thank goodness, snarling at him.
“She has a Pack.”
“I don’t see any bites.”
“Not yet, but they are mine.” My face flushes with anger, and my very barren neck stings like tiny little bees.
“Are they? If they didn't bite you during your heat, how much could they really be yours?”
“It’s none of your business,” I say, trying to hide the worry in my system.
“Shut the hell up, Cyclops. Like you’d even know what you’re talking about, you Packless fucker.” Jewels turns to me, leveling her gaze with mine. “Let’s go, Esper.”
I nod, letting Jewels and Lacy lead me anywhere that’s away. I try to regulate my breathing but I’m entering full panic mode. My ears ring as my omega lashes about in my brain. She’s highly upset over the comment.
If they didn't bite you during your heat, how much could they really be yours?
God, I hate that he touched a nerve. Getting through my heat without a single bite…something close to rejection sits in my chest, but I know they haven’t. They just— we just need more time.
“Esper, stop. Get it together. Your Packmates are gonna smell your worry from a mile away, and I’m sure you don't want that,” Lacy says, pulling me tight to her chest in a hug.
She’s right. I don't want them to worry. Realistically, we haven’t known each other for very long. Bonds take time. But my omega isn’t trying to hear it. My teeth ache as she wants to go bite and bond every single one of them right this instant.
“Deep breath,” Jewels says, breathing deep so I can copy her. “Bonds aren't something to rush. It’s good you waited.”
“Good?” I repeat, trying to get out of my own head.
“Good. I’d much rather have bonded my mates outside my heat.”
“Yeah?”
Lacy jumped in. “Yeah! When I got mine, it was so special. No rutting alphas, heat of the moment, or doubts of regret. My mate took me to Paris. Can you believe it? Cobra wined and dined the hell out of me. Saved up for months and when he finally bit me, wow! It felt so special to be of clear mind making the decision to be together forever,”
Her confidence eases my choice, pulling my omega from the cliff she was toeing over.