8. Invited
Invited
Emilia
There was a strange alpha at the door. He smelled incredible, like coffee and caramel.
I was cleaning up the dinner table, but I paused near the doorway to listen to Rory talking to the new person.
"On Saturday? Yeah, we can absolutely do that."
"How many of you are there?" the alpha asked, his voice smooth and deep with a slight hint of an accent.
"Four, including our omega," Rory told him.
"Great, I'll put you down. See you around 3 on Saturday."
The alpha left and I watched as Rory headed into the living room.
"That was the next door neighbor that just moved in. He says his pack is having a welcome party for all the neighbors and wants us to come over for barbecue on Saturday."
"Won't turn that invite down," Jake said. "You tell him we'll be there?"
"Yep." Rory settled back into his chair. "Hey, sweetheart, can you bring us beers, please?"
"Sure." I popped the caps on three beers and took them out to the guys.
My heart was light as I washed dishes and tidied the kitchen. There was no question who the neighbors were and I was excited to hang out with Jude and Oren again. The new alpha must be theirs, he smelled incredible and I wanted to sniff him closer.
***
Over the next few days, I was too busy getting the house ready for Candace to see if Gertie had gotten through the hole in the fence again.
I couldn't go into the nest, but I had the maid, Laura, make sure everything was ready to go.
I didn't want to end up on the pack's bad list, so I made every effort to keep them happy.
They didn't want much from me, but the day before Candace moved in on Friday, Jake handed me a list of foods she couldn't eat. It was extensive and meant I'd have to drastically shift my meal plans and groceries.
Then it was move-in day. I stayed out of the way in the kitchen, peeking out from time to time as she had the men haul everything inside.
The woman had a ridiculous number of boxes, many of which stayed in the living room.
A few things went to the basement, but the rest were hauled up to her new room.
That night, all I heard were squeals of delight and giggles from the nest. Fortunately, I was able to escape to my room downstairs and turn on some music to tune it all out. Then I sat on my bed and tried not to cry while I picked out my clothes for the barbecue tomorrow.
In the morning, after breakfast, Candace asked if Jake could take her shopping. "I want to wear something nice to this party!"
"I don't think it's that kind of party," I told her, being honest. The neighbors didn't seem very fancy.
"I'll never skip the opportunity to look good," Candace said.
"I'm just wearing one of my sundresses. It's perfect for this." I smiled at the men, but they were all frozen. What was wrong?
"Uh, sweetheart, we were going to use this as an opportunity to introduce Candace," Jake said.
"Of course. I understand, I'll just hang out on the outskirts," I said, already feeling down about it.
"Well, we thought it might be better if you just stayed in. It's going to be pretty rowdy if I know the folks who live around here," Rory laughed. "You'll be happier watching a movie with some takeout."
A long moment passed while I tried to process what he'd just said.
"Well, let's go, Jake, or we won't be back in time!" Candace said.
Leaving them standing there, I walked shakily to the kitchen to start the dishes.
"You know why they don't want you at the party, right?" Candace asked from the doorway.
"No." I turned to look at her, trying to keep my face smooth so she wouldn't see the hurt in it.
"Your scar. You look like a freak. They took you in because they felt sorry for you, like the three-legged puppy at the shelter that you bring home to look after. You've never wondered why they didn't take you anywhere? It's because they don't want to be seen with you."
With those cutting words, she spun on her heel and left the room.
Leaning against the counter, I tried to process what I'd just been told. My mind flashed to all the things we'd been through over the past year. My new pack hadn't bonded me. They never took me out. I'd never met any of their friends. We even ordered food and groceries and stuff online.
Candace was right. She wasn't just trying to hurt me, she was using the truth to do it.
I finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher, started it, and headed for my room.
A few minutes later, I heard Jake call goodbye and the front door open and close.
Knowing the other two were out there, I thought about confronting them, but the pain of realization was just too fresh.
Instead, I pulled out the sketchbook I'd bought, online, of course, and opened my laptop to watch a tutorial. Bit by bit, I was getting better.
My pencil moved over the page almost automatically. The video tutorial faded into the background as I sketched, lost in my thoughts. I wasn't even really paying much attention to the overall composition, focusing specifically on the eyes, then the nose, and the full, smiling lips.
"What the…?" I stared at the drawing I'd just finished.
It was definitely the best one I'd done yet, but that wasn't what shocked me.
It was the face of my neighbor, Oren, that stared up at me from the paper.
His green eyes sparkled even in pencil and his lips quirked up in that smile he'd given me multiple times last week.
Time had flown by while I was drawing and thinking. My art video was long over. The house was silent. Had they already left? Without even saying goodbye?
I checked the time and it was already after two in the afternoon. It was a bit early to have left, but maybe they'd gone over to help set up.
Cracking open my door, I listened for any sounds.
Nothing. My stomach rumbled, but I didn't feel like making myself food, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before settling on the sofa.
I put on a silly romantic comedy to keep my mind busy while the men and their omega, who was pretty enough to be shown in public.