Chapter 44 Kady
FORTY-FOUR
Kady
THREE WEEKS LATER…
Since returning to SVU, all the stress of the semester has dissipated, and I’ve never been happier.
After news of my courting the Valen Pack spread across campus, I’ve only had to deal with light teasing from Devon about ‘screwing a teacher’ and a few dirty looks from broken-hearted botany students.
Otherwise, everything feels like it’s fallen effortlessly into place.
With the Blandon Pack gone and an invitation to celebrate Christmas in Rose Harbor, the future feels exciting.
Even my dad has been in touch more regularly.
Our relationship is still a work in progress, but now that he’s stopped playing matchmaker, he’s finally showing a genuine interest in my studies for the first time and even promised to visit us over the holidays.
Although I’m still living in Stella House, I see the guys most days.
Between their schedules, Calder, Ezra, and Riven take turns meeting me between classes.
Despite them reluctantly sticking to my rule of no gifts, they’ve made it a personal mission to ensure that I’m hydrated and am never without a morning coffee from Bouncing Bunna.
To escape from the cold, Riven and I spend a lot of time studying together in the library.
I find such comfort in our quiet moments together, our knees brushing under the table as we read.
He has a way of bringing me calm whenever I’m stressed, and I’ve noticed that his confidence is increasing—especially in the bedroom, where he’s treating giving me pleasure as seriously as his study of the stars.
After hours, I’ve also spent a surprising amount of time in the greenhouse with Ezra.
It turns out being fucked amongst the flower beds is a new kink of mine, and it drives Ezra wild too.
For someone who used to be afraid of commitment, he’s now leaning into our connection, opening up about his childhood and inner thoughts.
Courting a botanist also comes with the benefit of having extra pot plants to display in Stella House.
Calder and I see each other a lot at the office.
We bounce off each other, discussing ideas and having passionate discussions.
I like how he challenges me, pushing me out of my comfort zone.
His smoldering looks from across the room have also made me dash to the bathroom to change my panties more than once.
I tend to see Hale more in the evenings, after he’s finished work.
We’ve been trying out all the independent restaurants around Forestville, chatting over delicious plates of food about anything and everything.
He’s learning to set better boundaries at work and even hired extra help, but he’s still a work in progress.
He puts the pack and his family before himself, but I have a big surprise planned for his birthday that’s going to help him.
Everyone else is following their dreams, so why can’t he?
Sometimes I spend the weekend at their apartment. While I’ve made their bachelor pad a little more homey with the introduction of cute, soft pillows and throws from Nora’s Nesting Nook, my wardrobe is shrinking as the guys insist on having items of mine to keep my scent fresh in the home.
Our relationship is progressing at a natural pace. I mean, what’s the rush when we have an entire lifetime to be together?
My bond connection with Hale doesn’t seem to have changed.
I’ve done more research about omega bonds since then, and Riven was right about there being few longitudinal studies.
Unfortunately it’s impossible to know how lasting our connection will be.
However, it does appear to have made my scent less potent to other alphas.
Even on a safe campus like SVU, it doesn’t hurt to be less desirable.
While I can feel Hale’s faint presence most of the time, it’s stronger when we’re in close proximity.
Calder suggested that I try biting the rest of them to see if it creates a similar bond to what I have with Hale, but we agreed as a pack that it wasn’t a good idea due to not properly understanding what consequences it could have.
Though I’m coming around to the idea that bonding wouldn’t be the worst thing, we’ve all agreed not to fully bond until after I graduate.
Despite being fully committed to each other, I don’t want any bond distracting me from my studies.
As I’m a Sinclair, bonding a pack would come with extra media attention, copious paperwork, and who knows whether I’ll be able to concentrate on my assignments during the bond adjustment phase?
Thankfully, they understand that I’ve worked so hard to get where I am. Still, being away from them isn’t easy.
Larry loves the guys so much that even he’s been having sleepovers at their apartment without me around. He’s always in a good mood whenever he returns—not surprising since they feed him all his favorite treats.
“Come on, Kady!” Sabs bellows from downstairs. “Time to party!”
I quickly check my reflection. I smooth down my sophisticated, periwinkle blue dress and adjust my hair that’s swept up into an elegant half-up half-down do. “Coming!”
Waiting with Delilah by the door, Sabs points at a purple light-up ball that Larry is pushing around the floor with his paw. “I nearly broke my neck on that thing!”
Larry swishes his fluffy tail and meows up at her with innocent wide eyes.
“See?” Sabs scowls. “I swear, he did it on purpose when he saw the size of my heels.”
Although the guys have been true to their word about not lavishing me with gifts, they have been spoiling Larry.
They bought him a huge kitty condo for my bedroom in the shape of a castle, which he loves.
Calder got him a new plush bed that’s as soft as a cloud.
Ezra grew him some high grade catnip, which I had to limit his intake of as I’m seriously worried about him becoming addicted.
Riven got him an adorable set of sweaters for the winter—the jury’s still out on whether he’ll wear them, but there’s a photo opportunity there if nothing else.
Hale even set up a subscription to a premium cat food supplier who customizes the food to Larry’s needs.
I check out Sabs’s micro purple sequin dress. “You know this is a low-key work event, right?”
“I needed an excuse to wear this dress.” She fluffs her red curls to give them extra volume. She looks gorgeous, as usual. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll end up in Club Knotty after.”
“I won’t.” That’s a definite no for me. “I have an assignment due next week, and I’m only halfway through it.”
“Those Valen alphas must be distracting you if you’re that behind.” Delilah links her arm through mine. She’s wearing a wide-leg leopard print jumpsuit with giant heart dangling earrings that sway amid her ringlets. “Remind me, why is this such a big deal again?”
“This is the celebration of The Valley Voice’s fiftieth birthday.” I smile proudly. “It’s a huge milestone for the paper.”
To celebrate, Calder invited everyone who works for the paper and their friends to celebrate in the office. It’s going to be a tight squeeze to fit in so many people, but Calder assured me that he has it handled, refusing my offers to help with planning.
“I hope there are plenty of snacks.” Sabs pats her stomach. “I’m starving.”
Sabs’s eyes light up when she sees the flashing lights and speakers on the waiting party golf cart I rented for the evening. She loves any excuse to belt out a song.
I drive us through campus, turning up the music loud while the girls sing. They had a few cocktails earlier, so they’re already a little merry.
When we pull up outside the office, an army of blue and gold balloons surround the entrance doorway.
“Drax!” Sabs runs over to greet the ripped, inked security guard on the door, who I assume Calder hired. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since...” She leaves the sentence unfinished.
Delilah and I hang back, assuming she’s talking about the time they made out.
Drax’s cheeks turn pink. “I guess I’ve been busy.” He puts his hands in his pockets, but his eyes glitter when he meets her gaze. “It’s good to see you, Sabs.”
“You too. I’m glad there’s no awkwardness between us.” She punches him playfully in the shoulder. “Back to being friends?”
“Yeah.” The sparkle in his eyes extinguishes. “Just friends.”
“We better go inside,” I cut in, unable to stand any more of the tension. “Calder will be mad if we’re late. He’s a stickler for punctuality.” I smile apologetically at Drax, whose shoulders hunch. “Thanks for your help with the party.”
He clears his throat. “No problem.”
“Poor Drax,” Delilah mutters as we climb the stairs.
“What?” Sabs looks at her incredulous expression as her heels creak on the stairs. “We’re friends now. You heard him.”
Delilah shakes her head, deciding not to disagree as we approach the loud voices and music coming from inside the office.
“This is so exciting!” Delilah perks up as I push the door open. She eyeballs the towering shelves spanning the walls, stuffed with books and previous paper issues. “I can almost hear the SVU secrets whispering in the air.”
Sabs winks. “Maybe we’ll find some juicy gossip if we dig around?”
“There will be nothing lying around for you to find.” I tug them away from the entrance. “I gave Calder strict instructions to make sure all electronic devices were locked away.”
“Spoil sport,” Sabs mutters under her breath.
Calder has moved all the desks out to create a big open space.
There’s a balloon arch spelling out “50th Anniversary,” and a projector aimed at the ceiling playing a slideshow of photos showing past The Valley Voice issues and ex-reporters from over the years.
Upbeat music plays in the background, and servers circle the floor, offering colorful drinks that have “TVV” sprinkled on top of the foam in edible glitter.