2. Alone in a Pack
Alone in a Pack
Emilia
"Before we get you settled, we should sit down and discuss expectations," Jake said.
We were standing in the foyer of the largest house I'd ever stepped foot in.
The exterior had been modest, with tasteful gray siding and white trim, but it was obviously a very elegant home.
I couldn't stop staring around at how much space there was.
A huge, swooping staircase led upstairs directly in front of us and the floor was hardwood throughout.
"Come into the living room," Rory suggested.
I followed them into the living room, a huge space with double-high ceilings and black leather sofas. The whole space was covered with a soft beige area rug and a few lamps were scattered around the area, despite full-length windows covering two walls. The light in here was amazing.
"Have a seat," Jake said.
I gingerly sat in a fancy-looking armchair that faced the biggest sofa. They all settled in on the sofa, facing me.
Despite the fact they all looked happy, my stomach was twisted in knots. I had no idea who they were, what they were like, outside of our few small interactions in the car, or how they would behave with me.
"We understand you recently lost your old pack.
I'm sorry for your loss," Jake started out.
"It might be a little much for you to just jump into a new pack, so we're more than happy to just let you get to know us until your first heat here.
The office said it will likely start in a couple of weeks? "
I nodded, though my heart gave a lurch at the thought of having a heat without the men whose marks sat on my skin. I pushed that thought down and gave him a small smile.
"I appreciate that, but I'm fine with intimacy once we know each other a little more," I told him. After all, this was my new home, my new pack. There was no reason to just wait until my heat. Despite my misgivings, it was time to move forward.
Jake smiled, like I'd just given him the right answer.
"Great! I think we can accomplish that fairly quickly.
Now, on to other things. First, you should know that we all work, so Rory and I are away every weekday, from around 7 am until 6:30 or so, unless we go out after work with coworkers.
Daryl's job has him flying according to when his clients need him, so he will be home sometimes, then away for anywhere from half a day to a week. Are you comfortable being home alone?"
"Of course." I forced my clenched hands open. My palms were sweaty and damp, but I resisted the urge to wipe them on my skirt. "In a house this big, I'm sure there's plenty of cleaning and such to do."
"Oh, we have a maid and a gardener," Daryl informed me. "You'd just need to cook."
I nodded. That was easy enough.
"You'll probably want a hobby of some sort to keep you busy while you're here," Jake said smoothly. "Think about what you'd enjoy and we'll figure it out."
Another nod. I was starting to feel like one of those bobblehead toys in a car window.
"Basically, what we need from you is managing the household, so you'll let the maid know of any new chores, or if she's not doing well with something.
You'll also need to manage the cooking and grocery lists.
We order online, so you can set up the list on a tablet I give you and we'll arrange for delivery.
And, of course, we'd like you to spend time with us.
We're in need of the calming factor an omega brings. "
"I can do that." I'd done similar for years already. This wouldn't be any different. Though when I looked around the place, it occurred to me that it might be very different. My previous pack hadn't been poor, but they'd definitely been middle-class compared to this pack.
"Great! Rory is going to show you around, then." Jake stood up. "I've got some paperwork to do. We'll order in for dinner tonight, so don't worry about cooking today."
"Thanks." I got up and followed Rory as he beckoned me toward the foyer again.
"I know it's a little overwhelming, but you'll feel at home in no time," Rory said with a smile.
We started with the first floor. The kitchen was enormous and so well equipped, I couldn't wait to start cooking in there.
Rory assured me that if there was anything I needed, they'd get it for me.
Then he took me to the pantry, which was as big as a regular-sized bedroom.
I stared at the many shelves, full of food and immediately started coming up with meal ideas.
Aside from the living room, there was a gym, laundry area, and a large back patio, as well as a guest room. Rory led me to a smaller room that had its own bathroom, right beside the laundry room.
"This will be your bedroom. Just a spot to get away from the testosterone if needed," Rory explained. "The rest of the time, you'll be with one of us."
"Oh." In my previous pack, I'd had my own space, but it was a large room with a nest just off it for my heats. My alphas had always come to me, not the other way around.
"You can decorate it of course. It's supposed to be the maid's room, but she's not a live-in." He gave me a reassuring smile.
Next, we went upstairs and I saw there were three main bedrooms, as well as a larger room that held a California king bed and nothing else.
"That's for later, we don't really go in there and we'd rather you stayed out, too," he said firmly when I poked my head through the door.
He pulled it shut and gave me a tight smile. "Over here, we have the nursery wing."
"You want kids then?" I asked. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
"Not yet." He pushed open a door to a room that already held a crib. It was painted in shades of yellow, with a rocking chair and change table already placed. It didn't look like they wanted to wait.
"That's pretty much it. Let's head to your room and get you settled in. They told us you didn't have any clothes, so we bought a few things to get you started."
A few minutes later, I sat on my narrow bed, staring at the closed door and wondering how I'd ended up here.
The alphas had brought in the bags of clothing they'd purchased, all things they'd suggested and rushed me out of the store with before I could try them on.
I stood up and started to put it all away in the narrow wardrobe.
The room itself was small and plain. Off-white walls.
Gray carpeting. A very basic overhead light.
It did have its own bathroom, though it only featured a shower.
I would have to use one of the upstairs bathrooms if I wanted to take a bath.
The thought bothered me a little, but they did have a nesting room.
There was obviously some trauma related to that, so I was determined to take things slowly.
After all, I was traumatized, too. Eventually, we'd figure something out where I could move into the nesting room. Maybe after my first heat with them.
I stood up, smoothed out the thin coverlet on the bed and went back to the living room where the guys were watching a soccer game.
Nervous, I wandered back into the kitchen.
No one really seemed to notice. They were drinking beers and cheering at the screen, so I decided to make myself at home in the kitchen.
Though they'd said we'd order in, I pulled out some ingredients and started mixing up some bread. It relaxed me to knead the dough and shape it. By the time their game was done, I had two loaves of bread in the oven and was starting in on some chocolate chip cookies.
"Wow, it smells good in here!" Jake came in to drop his beer bottle in the recycling bin. "If you're up for it, I can grill some steaks while you throw something together for sides and we'll skip the ordering."
I nodded. "What kind of sides do you like?"
"Anything but salad," Rory said. "Not a big fan of veggies myself."
"None of us are. We like meat and potatoes," Daryl laughed.
"I'll come up with something," I promised.
While the men headed outside to grill the steaks, I went through the fridge and pantry and came up with garlic bread and macaroni and cheese to go with the meat. By the time the meat was done, I had whipped everything else up.
"Oh, this smells great!" Daryl grinned, sitting down at the dining room table. "Good job, Em."
"Thanks."
Jake placed a steak on each person's plate and then we added whatever else we wanted. The men piled their plates high and dug in without a single complaint.
A little bit of my tension eased at the sight of them eating so happily. I could do this. It was going to work out.