Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Dhara
The girls said to dress cute, and I didn’t have a lot to choose from, so I ran out this morning. It was the first outing after knowing Gavin was mine and I was more than a little worried Mom might stalk me.
Conrad went with me, standing back and letting me shop, just making sure I was unbothered. Having him at my back made the entire outing a whole lot easier.
My shopping trips had mostly been thrifting so far, outside of the outfit I bought for my first date with Lachlan. I never had the chance to take my time and browse the racks.
The weather today was nice enough that I could go sleeveless. I’d considered a dress but I only wore those for the pack. My first choice was something casual and cute.
I ended up finding a comfy pair of dark, wide-leg jeans, leather boots, and a tank top. I’d even snagged a crossbody bag that was just big enough to fit what I needed.
This felt more like my style. Something that made me feel confident and like I tried, while still being comfortable in my skin.
I’d washed and dried my hair, putting some spray in it that left it wavy. My makeup was minimal, like usual, but that’s the way I liked it.
I walked downstairs to find the guys chatting in the kitchen.
“Where’s Gavin?” I asked, looking around.
August moved forward, pulling me close.
“Hey there, firecracker. You look incredible.” He practically purred the words into my ear.
“Where’s my brother, you flirt?” I poked him in the side, making him grunt.
“Hey now. Is that any way to treat the love of your life?”
“Yeah, yeah, brat,” I grumbled. “I have three loves, last time I checked.”
“He’s in his room,” Conrad answered, not letting me worry. His smile was bright after my teasing comment.
August nipped at my ear. He wasn’t the least put out by sharing me.
“Can you blame me for teasing her when she looks this good? We might need to pick back up on those lessons.”
“I am fairly certain you’ll get enough of me during my heat.”
He scoffed. “I will never get enough of you.”
“Well, maybe we can fix that after girls’ night,” I said, pressing my lips to his for a moment.
He tilted my head to the side, his fingers tangling in my wavy hair, kissing me deeper and deeper until a soft moan escaped.
He groaned as he broke away. It wasn’t until I looked up that I saw Conrad pulling him back.
“Don’t mess up her makeup and work her up before girls’ night.”
August groaned, looking genuinely put out by not being able to continue kissing me. I couldn’t help but chuckle. My delta was insatiable and this was only the beginning.
“I’ve never had friends before, or girls to be able to go have a drink with and talk about all the omega things. I’m not missing it,” I told him.
He sighed dramatically. “Fine... though you’re sleeping in my bed tonight.”
“Perfect. If she’s sleeping with you, then I get to say goodbye to her properly,” Lachlan said, pulling me gently into his own arms.
He spun me around, and I placed my hands against his chest, looking up at my redheaded delta. He tucked my hair behind my ear before kissing me soundly.
Once again I was moaning, but this time Conrad didn’t pull us apart.
Lachlan stopped himself, looking perfectly smug that he’d been able to. My omega was right there, pushing me to get closer, to strip their clothes off and let them… No. She had to chill.
Especially, not right here in the kitchen. It would not be appropriate seeing as my brother was upstairs and I was getting ready to leave.
My perfume drifted around us, and they all reacted.
“Hell, we’re going to have to open the door,” August said, throwing the patio doors wide so the fresh air could carry away the delicious scent we’d stirred up.
My skin was hot and my body was aching lightly. I had a feeling that if we weren’t about to induce the heat, I’d go into it on my own soon enough. This was definitely a precursor to a pre-heat. The very first warning signs.
“We’re going to go pick up your prescription,” Conrad said. “They suggested having a home health nurse close by, so we’re going to work on setting all of that up so you have nothing to worry about.”
My chest ached. “Thank you, Alpha.”
The words came softly. I approached him for a kiss this time, thanking him silently for being such a good alpha for me.
“I meant what I told the girls.” His soft smile calmed something inside me. I’d spent enough of my life around harsh people that I adored how gentle of an alpha Conrad was.
Double knocks on the door had me turning, a smile breaking across my face as I rushed forward and threw it open.
I found Roxie and Lana on the other side. Roxie had worn a cute, black dress with a lace overlay covered in spiderwebs.
Her makeup was darker, and her hair hung around her shoulders.
“You look incredible.”
“I could say the same about you,” she said as she took in my outfit. “That looks so good on you.”
Lana seemed to be sticking to her boho theme with a flowing, white maternity top, but this time her jeans were fitted to her legs, and she was wearing platform sandals.
Her hair was straight and hanging down her back. It was impressive how long it was.
“Who’s ready for girls’ night?” she sang out before calling over my shoulder. “I’ll have her home by midnight.”
“Keep your phone on,” Conrad said as he walked closer. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he watched us. “And don’t get up to too much trouble.”
“Don’t worry. We even have our designated driver already.”
“You hired a car service for tonight?” Lachlan looked genuinely impressed.
“Hell yeah, I did,” Lana said. “I didn’t want packs involved. This is just girls’ night, and we’ve got him for the whole night.”
“This is fancier than I’m used to,” I admitted.
“Come on. Champagne’s waiting for you in the car. Sparkling juice for us.”
Each girl hooked an arm through mine and pulled me toward the waiting black SUV.
“Be safe, omega,” Conrad called.
“Have fun,” August tacked on.
“I’ll be thinking about you all night in those fucking jeans,” Lachlan said.
“I don’t know if he meant to say that out loud,” Roxie laughed. “But they’ve got it bad, girl.”
“I do, too,” I admitted, blowing them a kiss that Lachlan caught with a goofy smile.
We all burst out laughing before climbing into the SUV.
True to her word, there was a built-in champagne bucket full of ice with two bottles that had already been popped.
Three glasses were waiting, and Lana poured the bubbly liquid into each one. Mine was the only alcoholic one, but I didn’t mind. It was another new experience.
“I’ve never had champagne before,” I mused as I leaned in to sniff it. It tickled my nose, the bubbles going crazy. I took a tentative sip.
It was a little sweet and perfectly bubbly. Honestly, I loved it.
“This is amazing.”
“I knew you’d fit right in,” Roxie said with a wink, taking several long sips of her own juice. “Not quite the same but it’ll do for now. Oh! We’re going to D’Angelo’s downtown. How do you feel about that?”
“I’ve never been. I’m here for it, though.”
“Looks like we’re getting all of your firsts,” she teased. I loved that they weren’t being careful with me. We already felt like old friends.
“Speaking of firsts,” I said, “this is my first heat, and I’m freaking out. I already mentioned that the other night, but it’s still driving me crazy.”
“I, for one, am looking forward to your heat because I get to spoil my nephew rotten while you’re gone,” Lana grinned.
“Thank you for that,” I said emphatically. “Truly. He deserves it. The kid hasn’t had a lot of good in his life.”
“Oh, shut up. He’s had you,” Roxie said. “That kid thinks the world of you. There wasn’t a dry eye in that courtroom.”
“Speaking of that... has she tried to contact you?” Lana asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “Last I heard she was moving to Vegas.”
“Not a smart move,” Roxie muttered. “Seeing as they’re definitely going to be investigating that little bubble of depravity.”
“Good. Maybe she’ll go to prison for longer,” I huffed.
“And as for the heat,” Lana said, giving me an eyebrow wiggle.
It made me giggle and take another sip of my champagne to hide my embarrassment.
“It’s going to be amazing. Trust your omega.
She’ll tell them exactly what she wants and take the lead.
You’ll get a little foggy and your instincts will be high, but you aren’t going to forget things. ”
“What if I’m not good at it?” I mumbled. It was hard not to have insecurities. My experience was barely there.
“Oh, trust me, you’ll be just fine,” Roxie promised.
“What she said. And we just talked about bonding and bites and all of that beforehand, and you guys should, too. They’ll find you somewhere amazing and it will be so much fun. Just enjoy it.”
“They said they were going to find a cabin,” I admitted. “I ended up falling down this whole rabbit hole looking into rental cabins, and honestly, the amenities would be perfect to be surrounded by all the time.”
“Do you think you’ll move out of the city?” Lana asked.
“I love our pack house,” I said shaking my head, “but I wouldn’t mind having a cabin to escape to for heats and to get away from here now and then. Honestly, decorating would be the best part. There were so many fun themes. They could use something other than wood paneling in the mix.”
“Oh my god,” Roxie gasped, sitting forward too quickly and nearly spilling her juice. “You guys should buy some cabins. Start small with just one or two. Make them your dream cabins and rent them out. There’s even property management companies that’ll handle all of that if you want them to.”
Her idea had something sparking inside me. I sat up a little straighter, too, giving it real thought.
“I don’t know that I’d want somebody else to manage it. Honestly, I like to control things in my life, so maybe that would be something perfect for me. I could coordinate the renovations. I could handle the check-ins and organize the logistics…“