Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
Dhara
Ididn’t think I’d ever seen my brother so excited. He was practically bouncing on his feet when we entered Pack Adventures.
The entire place was loud and busy. It was almost overwhelming. Gavin was loving every second of it while I tried not to cringe every time a kid screamed and ran past us.
As if he could sense my discomfort, Lachlan placed his hand on my lower back, offering me a comforting smile.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m just not used to big crowds like this, but look how excited he is.” I cocked my head to the side to gesture to my brother who was beaming.
Lachlan smiled over at him, looking genuinely happy to see us smile. “Once we get to the table, we’ll get him a game card.”
“You guys aren’t going to play the games with me?” Gavin asked, looking disappointed.
“Now, I never said that,” Lachlan said, flashing him a grin. “I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings by kicking your butt at all these arcade games. I’m practically a pro.”
Gavin let out an exaggerated eye roll, but he was smiling from ear to ear.
“Oh, it’s on, pretty boy.”
I lost it at the nickname. Who knew my brother could get so sassy?
Maybe he’d just never been given the chance before.
“Your table is ready,” the host called, leading us deeper into the loud restaurant.
Thankfully, most of the kids were already busy in the arcade, so it wasn’t quite as bad in here. It definitely wasn’t an intimate setting, but the fact that we were doing something Gavin was so excited about made me appreciate Lachlan even more.
It also didn’t come with the same pressure.
I knew this date couldn’t reach a point I wasn’t comfortable with because my brother was here.
He was a smart delta.
Lachlan pulled out my chair for me, and we settled around the table. A beta walked up to greet us as soon as we were all seated.
“Hello. We’re glad to have you here with us tonight,” he said with a well-practiced smile. “Is this your first time here?”
“It is,” I confirmed for us, waving between me and Gavin
“Well, we’re glad to have you. My name is Jason.
and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Since we’re a bit of a different restaurant, your table is yours whether you’re sitting here or not.
You can put in your order, get a game card, and go have a blast. They’ll page you over the speakers to let you know when your food is ready. ”
“That sounds perfect,” Lachlan said. “I’m definitely going to need one of those game cards.”
“Amazing. I can absolutely do that for you,” Jason said easily, writing it down on his order pad. “Can I get you guys started with some drinks as well?”
Gavin looked at me, nervous now. Lachlan stepped in before either of us could overthink it.
“Order whatever you want. Please, don’t hold back on my account. Just order whatever sounds good. Let yourself indulge for one night. We’re here to have some fun.”
“Okay,” Gavin said, his voice quieter now.
Some of the excitement had drained out of him, and I hated that.
I had a feeling we could take Lachlan at his word. I didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness at all, but I also knew I had to take the lead before Gavin would order something he actually wanted.
I started flipping through the menu toward the drink section. Jason was helpful, jumping in with their specials. They didn’t serve alcohol, but they had plenty of fun mixed drinks and lemonades.
“Oh, look. They have blueberry lemonade. Do you like that?” I asked him.
“That sounds great,” Gavin said, looking relieved that I had stepped in.
Jason wrote it down.
“You know what? I’ll try one of those, too,” Lachlan said.
“Make that three,” I chimed in.
“You guys are too good to me,” Jason teased before he walked away.
“Now the question is, do we order one appetizer or two?” Lachlan joked.
“Maybe we opt for dessert instead since he’s going to be excited to go play. We’d have to come back to the table pretty quick, otherwise.”
“Good point, gorgeous,” Lachlan said.
The way he let the nickname fall from his tongue without even trying warmed my chest.
I busied myself looking through the menu, trying to decide what to order. My stomach was full of nerves, but the moment I spotted the pasta section, it was over.
Carbs were my weakness and they came with breadsticks.
What was an omega to do?
Once I made my choice, I looked over at Gavin to see if he needed help. “What did you pick?”
He was chewing on his bottom lip, a telltale sign that he was conflicted.
“I was thinking about the burger. They also have cheese fries,” he said, his voice pitching lower. “Do you think that’s too much?”
“He offered us appetizers, Gav. I don’t think your cheese fries are going to tip him over the edge.”
Lachlan pretended not to hear us, but I could see the pleased smile on his face.
Neither one of us knew how to handle the situation, but we were doing our best, and he wasn’t making us feel bad for it.
Lachlan was different now that I was open to them. I expected deltas to be pushy and rough around the edges like August. Yet, my two deltas were opposites. Lachlan was thoughtful and sweet, just as protective, but also laid-back. He didn’t fill the silence and gave us space when we needed it.
He was the steady force in the pack and I knew that would be a blessing when we finally figured out how to make this all work.
Jason came back with our drinks, and I took a few sips as Lachlan gave him his order and encouraged Gavin to get whatever he wanted.
Once Jason finally turned his attention to me, I added mine.
“Good choice,” the beta said. “You might want to consider some extra breadsticks. They’re fantastic and my one weakness.”
“Go ahead and add them. I don’t turn down carbs,” Lachlan said before I had the chance.
“And here’s your game card,” Jason said after writing down the last of our order, sliding it toward Lachlan.
The delta turned toward my brother. “Game on, kiddo. Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Just like that, my brother was jumping out of his chair. We both had to rush to keep up with him as he ran ahead, his head swiveling back and forth. He eyed all the games one by one before finally picking a zombie shooting game.
Lachlan swiped the card. It had enough spots for all three of us to join. I was a terrible shot, but just hearing them goad each other back and forth, each trying to distract the other so they could win, had me loving every second of it.
“Alright, lady’s choice now,” Lachlan said when it was over.
“Maybe it’s lame, but I absolutely love skee-ball.”
“That’s one of my favorites, too,” Lachlan said with a soft smile. The one that was just for me. “Can’t beat the classics sometimes.”
He swiped the card three times at the different lanes, putting Gavin between us.
“I’m going to kick your butt this time,” I teased my brother.
He narrowed his eyes at me, but he was practically radiating happiness as he started to throw, which worked against him because he missed the first couple.
I took a deep breath before rolling the ball up the lane, letting out a little cheer when it landed in the highest point bracket.
“Hell, yeah, gorgeous!” Lachlan cheered, forgetting his own game as he rooted me on.
It was nowhere near as impressive as winning hockey games, but I was loving the attention, which surprised the hell out of me.
Without any sort of expectations on the table, it was simply us existing together. I was content and eager to know more without my own mind working against me.
Anxiety was a bitch.
“Gavin!” a kid’s voice rang out. My brother turned, a smile lighting up his face.
“Jace!” he greeted, waving at his friend before turning to us. “Do you mind if I go play a few rounds with him? He’s in my class.”
“Have at it, buddy,” Lachlan said, handing over the card. “There’s enough on there to cover you both if he runs out of points.”
“Thank you,” he said emphatically before he was off, running through the crowd.
“Do you want to play some more games? I can get a second card,” Lachlan said.
“That could be fun. They haven’t called us yet.”
He held out a hand between us, palm up, silently asking if I wanted to hold it. It was so adorably sweet that I couldn’t resist sliding my palm against his. Our fingers wrapped together, his pine, blackberry, and fresh rain scent was even more intoxicating than it had been before.
My scent perfumed around us, and suddenly the air between us was charged.
My delta didn’t draw attention to it. He simply tugged me toward the kiosk and got us another card. I liked that he quietly took charge and was always reassuring me. His attention was on me at all times when we were together. There were no doubts that he was right where he wanted to be.
“I actually had something I wanted to give you,” he said as we walked away, pulling out a thin box. It was small, and my eyes widened as I recognized the name of a popular jewelry store on top.
“I’ll be honest, I walked around that mall for two hours trying to figure out something that would make sense for you, and I realized we really don’t know enough about each other yet, so I found something that reminded me of you.”
He opened it, revealing a thin rose-gold bracelet. It was delicate and understated, but so gorgeous.
“Lachlan,” I breathed, my fingers brushing over the shining metal. “Are you sure?”
His blue eyes locked onto mine. “Of course, I’m sure. And I know that your life is a little complicated.” He skirted around the real elephant in the room. “So, I understand if you aren’t wearing it every time you see me.”
“I generally dress in hoodies,” I admitted. “She doesn’t have to see it for me to wear it. It’s beautiful, Lachlan. Thank you. This is the nicest gift anyone has ever gotten for me. The only one, really.”
His eyes drifted closed for a beat as if he had to swallow down the pain of that statement. I didn’t want to dull down the truth and sometimes those comments slipped free.
“You deserve so much more than this. Someday, we’ll be able to show you that. Until then, we’re all just trying to make sure that you and Gavin are both taken care of,” he promised in a low, husky voice that was full of emotion.
He pulled the bracelet from the case and slid it over my wrist, fastening it into place with a small smile on his lips.
“It looks perfect on you,” he said, looking adorably pleased with himself.
“Thank you, Delta.” I couldn’t help but thank him again.
“Thank you for giving me this chance,” he said in a husky whisper, like this moment meant just as much to him as it did to me.
“You and Gavin already mean the world to me, and I want you to feel comfortable reaching out to us. We’re here for you.
No matter what you need or what time of day it is. We’re yours, omega.”
The urge to be closer to him had me leaning forward and brushing a kiss over his lips.
It was a little clunkier than I would have liked, but he lit up for me again. That unguarded smile was quickly becoming one of my favorite things about him.
“Now come on. Let’s go race,” I said, pulling him toward one of the motorcycle racing games and hopping on.
He didn’t hesitate to join me, swiping the new card for each of us. Just like he had with Gavin, he teased me relentlessly as we both tried to distract each other.
I leaned over and put my hand in front of his eyes, making him swerve, and then cracked up. It felt so good to simply laugh, to not wonder who was watching or be afraid that he was getting too close.
For the first time in far too long, I was simply living in the moment.
When our name was called over the speaker, Lachlan led me back to the table. Gavin rushed toward us, his face flushed and a huge smile on his face.
“This place is awesome,” he said as he dropped into his chair. “Jace has two brothers. They’re two years older than us, but they were fun. They didn’t seem to mind hanging out with us, either.”
“I’m glad you ran into him.” I was more than a little relieved that my brother had friends. I feared that he was a little too much like me.
Our life was complicated, and it was hard to let people in.
“So, I don’t know Coach very well,” Lachlan said. “How do you like him, Gavin?”
That sent my brother off on another tangent, both of them talking about things I could barely follow because I didn’t know enough about hockey, but I didn’t mind simply listening to them.
I could almost picture what it would really be like to have a pack. One where her opinions didn’t matter and Gavin was with us.
It was the life they were promising and if they were somehow able to get past the obstacle my mother presented, we could have this every day. Maybe not adventures and dates, but normal life spent without fear or pain.
That thought alone sent a rush of warmth through me. Lachlan must have sensed it. He looked up, giving me a secret smile and wink before turning his attention back to my brother.
The fact that he had asked us both here and made sure I knew they saw not just me, but Gavin, too, had hope dangerously burrowing into my chest. It whispered about all the things I had always wanted but never allowed myself to consider.
I already felt more alive in the short time I’d known them than I had in my entire life.
I wanted to hold on to that feeling and never let it go.